Finding My Way
by JustSmileBFF
Summary: This Victorious fanfic is about Laura Price, a new girl at Hollywood Arts. Her main subject is piano. Quickly bonding with André, Laura becomes a part of the gang. But does she belong at HA? *Being rewritten*
1. Chapter 1

**Laura's POV**

Have you ever experienced that words can change everything? That they can cause so much misery, pain or embarrassment, even if spoken in the most casual way? I have experienced that several times in my life. You see, my mother has a habit of casually mentioning the most important of decisions over normal, unexpected events, like breakfast or while you're watching a movie with her. When I was five – and I'm simply telling you this to give you an idea of what I mean – she was taking me to kindergarten one day and bluntly told me something that has changed my life forever. And the thing is: there was a reason that I did not yet understand. Not until one week later.

"We're moving out," my mother said after she gave me a kiss on the cheek, wishing me a good day at school.

I had been stunned, had no idea what to do – whether to get out of the car and pretend like nothing happened, or firing a million questions at her, because I simply did not get it. Or maybe I didn't want to back then. I wasn't an oblivious or naive little girl – even at the early age of five, I'd already sensed something was awfully wrong between my parents. They used to yell at each other a lot, while I tried to finish eating my dinner or - when I was already in bed - I pretended everything was fine, singing happy songs to myself softly so I wouldn't hear the shouting. But when my mom explained to me that she and my dad were getting a divorce, I just snapped. I screamed, cried, begged and so on, but none of that helped. We were moving out. We left my dad, my heartbroken dad, and moved to Red Bank, a small town not too far away from him, but far enough for my mother to feel free. I remember exactly how utterly hurt and devastated dad looked when my mother packed all our stuff and dragged me into the car, driving away to a new life. Without him.

The rest of the journey and during the first weeks of being in our new home, I simply refused to talk to my mother. We didn't speak for weeks. But to my own surprise and horror, the pain of missing my father lessened over time. I talked to him a lot over the phone and even though the feeling that something was not right about not having my dad in my daily life never disappeared, I did get used to him not being around. I still got to see him during the weekend every three weeks and somehow, I was okay with that.

When I was ten - five years after my parents' horrid divorce - my mom decided to pick up an old hobby: singing. When she was a teenager, she had attended a special school to become a professional singer. But when she'd gotten me, she stopped doing concerts instantly. Later she quite the choir and ever since the fights with my dad had started, she hadn't sung a single note.

Another five years passed and life was good - my mom found herself a new choir, a vocal coach and a restaurant to perform in on Friday evenings. And I was happy too, I really was. My piano lessons were going great, and I found out that I had an interest for songwriting as well, which felt so freeing to me. The way I could and still can express what I feel or think through music is just exhilarating. Especially when performing – which I rarely do, because I have the worst case of stage fright – I feel like I can really connect with the audience, tell them my story through my songs. And I love that about music. It's so pure, so real if you do it right.

It wasn't until at my fifteenth birthday that it all went wrong. My mom and some of my friends had thrown me a surprise party, with balloons – which scare me to death – cake and even a baking workshop. Now, I already knew I loved to cook, with stemmed from the the first few years after the divorce, when my mother was so depressed she wouldn't do anything but stay in bed. So, instead of whining about the latter, I did the groceries and cooked for my mom and me. Someone needed to do it, right?

But suddenly, just before we wanted to start baking, my mother realized she didn't buy enough baking powder. So, she hurried back to the store and long story short, she got into a car accident as a man named Gerry Johnson told me over the phone later that day. He is a nice, calm man, a producer and my stepfather. Or so that's what he became about a year after the accident, which he had caused because he was not paying attention to the road for just a second. Story goes, my mom had fallen in love with him the moment she first laid eyes on him – which, awkwardly enough, was right before she fainted due to the pain of her broken arm.

Gerry is all my mom ever dreamed of in a man: someone who'll always support her and her singing career, who'll love her and be with her forever. Ever since that day, things changed again. A year passed and my mom and Gerry got married. Before long, they started traveling a lot to get my mom a record deal – a dream she apparently hadn't quite given up on. They finally succeeded two months ago with a producer in LA, after almost three years of bothering record labels.

And I know I should have seen it coming, but sadly, I hadn't. Maybe – as I've explained earlier – this isn't entirely my fault. You see, my mother has the strange and annoying habit to mention the most important things during normal events. Two days ago, she spoke life-changing words again. Words that sounded so familiar, I got sucked right into a panic attack when she muttered those words over breakfast.

"We're moving."


	2. Chapter 2

**Laura's POV**

"Laura Price, come back _right _now!" Gerry yells furiously, his face redder than I've ever seen it before.

Despite the fact that I just want to scream back and tell him _exactly _what it feels like to be transported around the country just because your mother wants to pursue a career as a professional singer, I don't. Instead, I freeze on my way out of our new house - not that far away from the center of Los Angeles, the city my mother seems to love so much all of a sudden.

"I am _not _listening to you," I spit to my stepfather and the shadow of my mother as she moves to stand behind him slowly, "Not after that pathetic stunt you just pulled! Don't you get it? I am not a girl that can be bought off. Not even with a perfect piano like that!" I shake my head at the two adults in front of me, turning around, seething at them inwardly. I thought they knew better than that.

"But we were only trying to make you feel at home, honey," mom says in a weak, desperate voice.

Those simple, truthful words make my heart ache on the spot, like it so often does lately. Or rather, I realize, like it has done for more than three years now. I swallow thickly, stopping dead in my tracks again, squeezing my eyes shut tightly to force hot tears back. She didn't just say that. She should know me better.

"That proves that you don't know me all that well, _mom_," I croak, wondering if she can even hear me, "I'm not a princess. I don't need gifts to make me feel better. I need..." I swallow the words I really want to say and shake my head again, continuing to walk away from the woman that's supposed to know me better than I know myself. I need her love. Some of her time. Not her money. When is she ever going to learn that?

Before I reach the end of our lawn, the stinging tears start clouding my vision dangerously. I rub my eyes forcefully, pushing the tears back into where they are safely hidden from view. And then, I hear my mother call after me once more in hopelessness, about how she has to go to New York for a big concert in an hour. Again. At that mention, I choke on a tiny, barely audible sob, unwilling to stay there any longer. So, I start running to get away from that house and those people as soon as possible. I need time and space to breathe, rather than having nowhere to hide in the house, because there's still too many boxes to unpack.

"Hey, look out!" an unfamiliar voice calls suddenly, and when I look up, my eyes meet two startled dark brown ones.

But it's too late – I can't stop running in time to keep myself from colliding with the handsome, dark-skinned stranger. So, inevitably, I run into him at full speed, almost causing us both to tumble to the hard pavement. Luckily, the guy – he can't be much older than I am - stops us from doing so by catching me in his arms, firmly keeping his feet on the ground. Literally.

Still trying to catch my breath, while trying to keep in my sobs – this is not the best combination, let me tell you - I feel strangely comforted by the fact that I'm trapped in the stranger's embrace. And it takes more than a few seconds for me to finally realize that it's exactly what he is – a stranger. With a gasp, I pull back instantly, nearly pushing the guy away from me in shock.

"I shouldn't be hugging strangers," I blurt quickly, more to myself than to the handsome guy that's looking at me intently, his friendly eyes sparkling a little in the bright sunshine. "I mean," I add uncomfortably when he opens his mouth to say something, "I'm sorry."

I groan a little, wiping at my eyes as new tears start rolling down my cheeks. I'm not supposed to cry – especially not in front of a strange, handsome guy that happens to have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. Soon enough, that same smile disappears slowly as the guy looks down at me, a worried frown wrinkling his forehead.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly as his fingers brush against my arm in an attempt to get me to look back into his eyes.

"Yeah," I lie quickly, ignoring how the tears on my cheeks state the exact opposite, "I'm fine."

I watch with silent adoration how the corners of his eyes curl upwards, revealing a boyish grin. Somehow, I feel the urge to answer the grin with an equally cheeky one, but before I can even do so, a worried female voice behind me calls my name.

"Laura, honey," Maria says, as she walks towards me, and I realize she looks more tired than I've even seen her. The big move from Red Bank to Los Angeles hasn't been easy on her either, being my mom's housekeeper and my nanny. She's been busy unpacking all the boxes while all my mother's done is take a bath and spend time with Gerry in his LA studio, presumably recording another song.

"What?" I ask softly, grumbling at myself inwardly for sounding so fragile and shaky. My mother doesn't want me to be home alone while she travels the entire country for her job, so she hired Maria two years ago. And while my mother and I have estranged so much over the years, Maria and I have grown as close as can be during those two years.

As soon as Maria reaches us, she wipes away some of my tears gently, almost automatically, and she smiles sadly, asking, "Why don't we go for a drive, sweetheart?"

Unintentionally, I do something that makes me feel ridiculously childish, especially in front of the stranger that's obviously trying to put the pieces together as he glances between Maria and me. I start pouting. "But I don't want to go for a drive," I whine softly, looking up at Maria through my lashes.

Again, as my eyes flutter towards the guy in front of me, his lips curl into a grin and a small chuckle escapes him. At that, Maria turns around and smiles at the stranger politely, "Hello. Who are you? Do you two know each other?"

I glare at her a little, "Of course not. How am I supposed to know him, we just moved here two days ago." Noticing her slightly hurt expression, I look down at my feet as I mumble, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

Instead of scolding me, Maria sighs a little, rubbing my back softly as she looks back at the stranger in front of us, waiting for an answer patiently.

"Oh, I'm André Harris," the guy smiles his gorgeous smile again, "I'm L-"

"Really?" Maria interrupts suddenly, laughing nervously, "Come on, Laura, we really need to go." She tucks at my arm and leads me to her car, completely taking me by surprise. There's some things you should know about my nanny: for one, she's always patient with people, even if they don't deserve it. And secondly, she's never rude. So, as she greets André while dragging me to the car, I'm left to just stare at the poor guy, who looks just as stunned as I feel, wondering what this is all about.

.

.

.

"Why did you interrupt him like that?" I ask eventually as we're driving through the city, to a location that Maria won't give away just yet, for some reason. That confuses me even more - she never really keeps anything from me, but instead of just telling me what's going on, she looks a little grim as she focuses on driving.

"There's something your mother asked me to show you, because-" Maria sighs and, if I'm not mistaken, her brown eyes darken a little as she continues, "- well, she'll be off to New York again in less than an hour and she wanted me to tell you about what she has... decided for you last summer."

My heart skips a beat painfully at the mention of my mother's awful habit, "Not again. What did she think of now? It doesn't have anything to do with that piano, does it? Or with the way you left André hanging?"

When Maria meets my eyes shortly, almost contritely, long enough for me to know I'm right. Just when I open my mouth to ask more questions, Maria takes a turn to the right, slowing down to a stop next to an impressive gate of stone, the letters that are stuck to it stating what the building behind the gates is:

_**Hollywood Arts High School**_

"No," I stutter, staring out of my window as if I'm about to be executed in a horrible way, "Please, tell me we're just here on a field trip, so you can talk to me about how pretty that gate is." I turn back to my nanny desperately, my eyes big as I plead, "Please, tell me we're not here for anything else."

Maria swallows thickly at the panic in my eyes and cups my cheeks gently, answering softly and truthfully, "I'm sorry, honey. Your mother wants you to audition."

"_No,_" I exclaim, my heart racing in fear, shooting away from Maria as if she's the thing I'm most scared of, "No, I can't. I'm _not_ good enough! I want to go to a normal school with normal people." I take a sharp, shallow breath, my entire body shaking in fear.

"Laura, honey," Maria replies quickly, a worried frown settling on her forehead as she listens to my scared rambling. Before I can continue, she pulls me close to her, wrapping me in her arms as she adds, "You're wonderful. Okay? You're really good at playing the piano and writing songs. You deserve a chance like this, baby girl. You really do."

"But I can't," I protest softly, my voice breaking on the last word as sobs finally overtake me, after keeping them in for almost an entire week. I've finally reached my limit – my mother's done it again. As my breaths turn into shallow, short intakes of air, Maria tightens her grip on me, recognizing the signs of the start of an anxiety attack.

"Honey, breathe," she says softly and she presses a kiss to my dark, unruly curls, rubbing my back soothingly. Then, when I finally am calmer again, she adds, "It's okay. We'll just go in and talk to Principal Eikner for a little bit and then you can decide what you want, okay? I promise we won't make you do things you really don't want, no matter what your mother thinks. Trust me, okay?"

Pulling back from the hug, I wipe my tears away in surrender, taking a deep shaky breath. I bite my lip, looking into Maria's eyes as if I'll find some much-needed courage in them. "Okay," I concede, "I trust you."

.

.

.

"This is the Asphalt Café. It's where the students eat their lunch and spend their breaks," Principal Eikner says with a broad smile, showing off his teeth. We just had a conversation about the usual stuff when you are new to a High School. After that, he showed us the school, which – I have to admit – is really, really exciting.

I look around and take in the vibe of the Asphalt Café, or whatever they call it. Just by looking at the lively graffiti on some walls, I can tell it's a very energetic kind of place. I can easily imagine HA students being everywhere, enjoying background music and art. The place is now crowded with nervous people who'll be auditioning.

Fidgeting with my flowy top, I am nervous as well, because deep down, I know I'll agree to audition. I just love the school, the colorful lockers which the students have to decorate – it's a Hollywood Arts tradition – and I simply feel at home. Like I haven't felt in years, I realize, though I wouldn't admit that out loud.

"So, Laura," Principal Eikner starts, making me jump a little at the sudden interruption of my thoughts, "What do you think? Are you willing to audition? From what your mother and Maria have been telling me, you're a very talented girl. And of course, we're very curious about you. Did you meet André yet? He signed up for the Mentor program this year and we've asked him to help you prepare for your audition. I do reckon he's contacted you about all this? I mean, your audition has been scheduled in about an hour."

I open and close my mouth several times, trying to register the overload of information the principal has just rambled. André's my mentor? Is that why he was that close to my house? And did Maria know? Is that why she reacted like that? Eventually, just one thing fully registers, "You... What? My audition is in an hour?"

My heartbeat picks up instantly and I stare at Maria and the principal in shock, barely noticing how Maria grabs my hand and squeezes it encouragingly. She smiles at me, but behind her faith in me, I can see worry and contrite, as if this is all her fault.

"Yes," Principal Eikner continues, "So, if you let me take you back to the main hallway, I'll have André meet you there as soon as possible. Now, you're auditioning to be in our senior year, so I'm certain you've prepared both songs and the music theory part of the audition, right?"

Not waiting for me to answer that question, or to agree to it all, the man hurries inside the school again, not even looking around to see if Maria and I are following. I turn back to Maria, not taking a single step until she tugs at my arm and urges me to walk with her. "Did you know my audition is in an hour?" I ask, not sure if I can follow everything that is going on at the moment. It's all happening so fast.

"I did," she says softly, "Your mother told me on the plane last week, when you were sleeping. I'm sorry that it's all so much, honey, but I'm sure it'll be okay. I made a list of things you've played a lot lately, so I'm sure it'll be alright."

Before I even get a chance to respond, Principal Eikner tells me he and Maria will have to continue their conversation about my old schools and all, but that I should wait by the lockers for André to arrive. And before I can say 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' or anything like that, Maria hands me the piece of paper with the song titles on it and hurries after the principal, disappearing from sight.

"Great," I mutter to myself, leaning back against one of the lockers, not knowing what to do right now. Obviously, I can't just walk out on Maria and the principal, so I guess I should just hang around and wait for the André guy to arrive.

Just when I am about to walk around the school some more, something interesting catches my eye, across the lockers I'm standing by. A wide smile appears on my face as I walk closer, reaching up to try and play – it's a keyboard on a locker. How awesome is that? The smile never leaving my face, I start playing the song I just finished writing yesterday evening. I giggle a little when it actually works, only to be interrupted by a loud cough behind my back.

With a gasp, I turn around, my long curls flying around in the movement. "I'm sorry," I blurt to the handsome guy in front of me, "I was just curious. But seriously, a keyboard as decoration. How wicked is that?" I can't help but return the smile André's sending me and I relax instantly.

"Well, thank you," he grins, taking off his backpack before playing a short melody, eliciting a 'click' from the locker. With a wink, André opens his locker and stuffs his bag in it, before turning back to me. "So, you must be Laura."

I smile and take his extended hand, "Yeah. Nice to meet you." I run a hand through my curls and fidget with my top a little, "So... What are we supposed to do now?"

André chuckles, nodding towards the stairs before he starts walking to them, "Rehearse for your audition, Sweet cheeks, what else?"

Almost on command, I start blushing like a little girl who just got told she's pretty, following him upstairs without really saying anything. André explains what we're going to do in the next hour, like picking a classical piano piece and an original song that I'll have to play in front of the judges.

I swallow thickly and try to smile at André in an attempt to convince him as well as me that I'm as comfortable as can be. We walk into one of the many rooms with a piano, and I close the door behind us, telling myself that – deathly amount of nerves or not - I _am_ going to do this.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hey everyone,_**

**_Here it is: chapter threeeee!=D  
>Enjoy.=)<em>**

_**Henrike.  
>p.s: Shoutout to DariusWoW Thank you for your nice review!=)<br>**_

"So, you're André, right?" I asked.  
>"The one and only," he replied with that smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile too.<br>André was standing by the piano and motioned for me to sit down on the piano stool. I did and automatically started playing. I felt André's eyes on me at first, but then I started to lose myself in the song and couldn't focus on anything but the music. That's what music did to me: it took me to a far-away place where everything was possible. It made me escape from my problems and helped me understand my emotions better. As my fingers ran from key to key, I felt myself relax.

After I finished the song, I looked up at André. He was just standing there, looking at me in silence. Just when it was about to get awkward, he simply said:  
>"You're real' good."<br>"Thank you," I replied. I smiled and quickly looked down at the piano again.  
>"Is that what you are going to play for the audition?" he asked while walking around the piano to sit next to me. His shoulder brushed against mine as he sat down and I felt a shiver run all over my body.<br>"I… I don't know," I stuttered, distracted by the effect of his touch.  
>"What do you mean you don't know?" André asked, confused.<br>"Ehm… Well, I didn't know that I had an audition until like thirty minutes ago," I explained.  
>"You mean that Maria didn't tell you anything about it?" André asked, his eyebrows rising.<br>I nodded, looking down at the piano keys, as if it was my fault.  
>"Man!" he said, clearly shocked.<br>"Wait," I said with suspicion, looking him in the eyes, "how do you know her?"  
>"Ehm…," André said, "we'll explain that later, you have to start rehearsing now."<br>"No, seriously, how do you kn-" I pushed, but he interrupted me.  
>"Sorry, Laura, but we really don't have time for this right now. You have to choose what you want to play and sing and-"<br>This time I was the one interrupting:  
>"Woa wait, I have to sing?"<br>He smiled again and said:  
>"Yeah. So do you know a song you can both play and sing?"<br>I thought for a while.  
>"Well," I eventually said, "I wrote a song a while ago and I guess I could use that…"<br>André seemed surprised in a good way.  
>"You write?" he asked.<br>I nodded, but just when I was about to say something, I heard the door open. André and I looked up.  
>"Laura Price?" some guy with glasses and messy hair asked. He had a puppet with him. Hmm...<br>"Yes?" I replied.  
>"What's up, Robbie?" André asked, getting up from the piano stool. I did the same.<br>"Miss Jones wanted him to get Laura for her audition," the puppet said.  
><em>''Gosh, it talks!'' <em>I thought.  
>"Rex!" Robbie scolded, "I had to say that! I can't believe you did it again!"<br>"Ah, get over it!" Rex replied.  
>"No, Principal Eikner wanted me to get everyone for the auditions, not you!" Robbie replied. He really looked angry. Their fight went on for a while and I leaned to André, whispering:<br>"What's with the puppet?"  
>"Don't ask," André whispered back. We softly chuckled as Rex hit Robbie in the face.<br>"Anyway," Robbie suddenly said, making André and me quickly look serious again, "please come with me, Laura, and I'll show you the audition room."  
>That took my smile away.<br>"But we didn't finish practising," I protested.  
>"I'm sorry, but it's time," Robbie said.<br>"Oh, that's okay, I think you're ready," André said and he encouragingly smiled at me.  
><em>''Man, that smile!'' <em>I thought.  
>"Thanks, but-" I said, but suddenly Rex interrupted me by saying:<br>"Hey, you are a pretty one!"  
>My mouth dropped and I stared at Robbie.<br>"Excuse me?" I said, shocked.  
>"Wasn't me!" he replied, looking all innocent.<br>We were already walking to the audition room, so I decided to just drop the subject as I saw Maria walking toward me.  
>"Come on, Laura, they are waiting for you," she said while putting her arm around me as she practically dragged me through the hall. André, Robbie and his puppet were following us to another hallway where a lot of nervous people were gathered. It made me even more nervous.<br>"Good luck, Laura!" I heard someone yell and I looked around to see Tori giving me the thumbs-up. I tried to smile at her, but I miserably failed because the nerves didn't allow me to smile.  
>Maria grabbed my arm again and gently pulled me with her. We finally reached a door with a paper that said "Audition Room". My heart skipped a beat and I froze. Just when I was about to turn around and run away, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I immediately felt it was André's by the shiver that appeared again. I turned around to face him.<br>"Good luck, Laura," he gently said, "You can do it!"  
>"Yeah, gorgeous," Rex said, "blow them away!"<br>Part of me wanted to hit him for the first remark, but he had said something nice too, so I kept myself from giving the puppet a massive headache and a black eye.  
>"Thanks, Rex," I said.<br>"Bye, Laura!" Robbie enthusiastically said. Everyone gave him a weird look. Poor guy.  
>"Come on, sweetie, you have to go now," Maria said. She gave me a quick hug and kiss and then I finally walked into the audition room.<p>

**_Thank you for reading!  
>I really hope you enjoyed yet another chapter of this fanfic.<br>Please, feel free to review if you like!=)  
>Henrike.<em>**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello everyone,**_

_**Here's chapter four of my Victorious fanfic.: Finding My Way.**_  
><em><strong>Enjoy and feel free to review!=)<br>**_**_  
>Henrike.<br>p.s: Here are some shoutouts.  
>Robandie Foreves Thank you very much for your reviews!=D<br>XxXCaitlinXxX Thank you for your enthusiasm and support!  
>p.p.s: the piano piece that Laura plays in chapter three&amp;four is Love Me by Yiruma.<em>**

"Hello, Laura," a friendly man said, "my name is Lane Alexander and I am the school guidance counselor."  
>I had just walked in the audition room and was now being smiled at by Lane and five other people.<br>"Nice to meet you," I politely said while shaking Lane's hand.  
>Lane and I walked to the jury table as he introduced them:<br>"This is the Hollywood Arts jury, consisting of Mr. Gradstein, scriptwriting teacher," I shook Mr. Gradstein's hand and he just nodded. I wondered if that was supposed to be a friendly gesture, since he was not smiling or anything.  
>We walked to the next person, which was a woman.<br>"This here is Miss Jones, our vocal coach," Lane said and I shook her hand. She smiled at me, making me feel a little bit calmer.  
>Lane continued the introduction and said:<br>"Mr. Sikowitz, improvising teacher."  
>The odd man was smiling at me while taking a sip from a… coconut. He probably saw me looking at it, because he removed the straw from his mouth and mysteriously whispered:<br>"Their milk gives me visions!"  
>I raised my eyebrows and quickly walked on to the next person.<br>"This is our instrumental teacher, Mr. Anderson," Lane said.  
>"Nice to meet you, Laura," Mr. Anderson said, "you play the piano, right?"<br>I smiled and nodded. He wrote something down.  
><em>''Wow, these people sure know how to make you nervous!''<em> I thought.  
>Lane and I walked to the last person at the table: a fancy-looking lady.<br>"This is Madame McKee, our ballet teacher," Lane said.  
>Madame examined me from tip to toe and then smiled at me. I was not sure whether that was good or not.<br>"So, Laura, we are going to ask you some questions first," Lane said as he sat down.  
><em>''Questions? What questions?''<em>  
>"Miss Price," Mr. Gradstein said, making me look his way, "why do you want to attend Hollywood Arts?"<br>I swallowed: I had been asking myself that question about a thousand times then and I still didn't really come up with an answer.  
>"Ehm," I stuttered, "because music is my passion and I would love to learn every possible thing about it."<br>"And…," Mr. Gradstein said, motioning for me to go on.  
>"I… I don't know what else there is to say," I softly replied, looking down at my feet.<br>Mr. Gradstein mumbled something I didn't understand and wrote some words down.  
>My heart was beating in my chest as I was waiting for the next question.<br>"Laura," Sikowitz said, "what makes an actor an actor?"  
>He looked at me with big, curious eyes, just like everyone else.<br>I quickly thought and hesitatingly said:  
>"The ability to imagine what it feels like to be a certain character and the gift to portray that character, I think."<br>Sikowitz seemed satisfied, but I wasn't sure. After all, he was an actor.  
>I watched him take another sip of his coconut milk as he wrote something down.<br>"Why do you play the piano?" Mr. Anderson asked.  
>I felt relieved: I actually knew that one!<br>"Because it's the instrument that suits me best. The piano is the only instrument through which I can truly express my feelings," I sid, briefly looking at him and then down at the floor again.  
>Mr. Anderson smiled and started writing.<br>"Laura, how would you describe music?" Lane asked.  
>That was a deep question. I thought for a while.<br>"I think I'd describe it as a form of communication, a universal language that everyone understands. It's almost magical what music can do to people," I softly said.  
>"Do you sing, Laura?" Miss Jones asked.<br>"Ehm…," I began, "not really… But when I write songs, I write the vocals as well and I usually sing it myself, since I don't know any singers."  
>"So, you do write songs?" Miss Jones asked. I saw Mr. Gradstein sitting up from the corner of my eye.<br>"Yes," I quickly said.  
>"Miss Laura," Madame McKee said and I looked her way, "what exactly is it that dancers do?"<br>_''Is that a trick question?''_ I thought.  
>"Eh, they dance?" I replied.<br>Madame McKee laughed a little.  
>"Well, obviously, but what is their goal?" she asked.<br>"Ehm, to tell a story?" I said.  
>"Hmm…" Madame McKee replied. She started writing as Lane said:<br>"Thank you, Laura."  
>I nodded.<br>"You may now play what you prepared," Mr. Gradstein said, still looking down at his papers.  
>"Oh… Okay," I said and I walked to the piano. I nervously sat down at the piano stool.<br>I took a deep breath and I lightly put my fingers on the piano keys.  
><em>''Great, my hands are shaking,'' <em>I thought.  
>I breathed in and out once more and then started playing.<p>

The first seconds went by, but wasn't going well: I could barely focus. I struggled to play the song as the nerves weren't disappearing. They kept me from really feeling the music. A minute went by. I hit a wrong note and heard confused whispers between the teachers.  
>I saw my hands shaking, then another mistake. Tears started to fall and I played a terrible chord. I stopped.<br>Silence filled the room. After seconds of quietness, all that could be heard was my soft sobbing.  
>"Laura-" Lane began, but I interrupted him by suddenly getting up, making the piano stool fall over. Tears were rolling down my face as I whispered:<br>"I can't do this…"  
>I was about to run out of the room, but Miss Jones stopped me by saying:<br>"Laura, wait."  
>I looked up to see her standing in front of me and I quickly looked down again.<br>"What's wrong?" she gently asked, softly brushing my upper arm.  
>This made me shed even more tears.<br>"I just can't do this," I replied, sobbing.  
>"Do you want me to get someone for you?" Lane asked.<br>He was already at the door. I nodded, so he opened the door and I heard him talk to a worried Maria.

Just seconds later, she quickly came walking in the audition room and immediately hugged me.  
>"It's okay, honey," she softly said while stroking my hair.<br>"I can't do this, Maria," I sobbed, over and over again.  
>After a couple of minutes, the tears stopped falling and I pulled away, wiping away my tears. I saw André still in the hallway, looking at me with a worried face. He made an are-you-okay-gesture, but Lane was closing the door already.<br>"Laura, please look at me," Maria softly said, "what's wrong?"  
>"I can't do this," I simply said, refusing to look at her.<br>"Sweetie, please believe me when I say that you can," Maria said, "And you know I don't lie."  
>I saw the teachers and Maria look at me, expecting me to play again.<br>"I want to go home," I said, my voice shaking.

**_That's it for now, you guys.  
>I'm going to try to write&amp;post chapter five this week, but I am going on a holiday this Saturday, so I am not sure if I will be able to finish #5 before that. But I'll definitely try, okay?<br>Thanks again to everyone for helping me!  
>xoxo Henrike<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Hey everyone,  
><em>****_  
>I finally finished chapter five!=D<br>I'm sorry that it took a while to upload, but I was on a holiday and couldn't find the right time to finish.  
>Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter. Enjoy reading and feel free to review or pm.=)<em>**

_**Henrike.**_

**_p.s: here are the usual shoutouts to the people who helped me.  
>taymontu Thank you for calling this a very good story.<br>Sharpay Evans 11 Thank you for your review, your help&support and for being so nice to me!=)  
>cheernerd7 Thank you for your honest review and messages.<br>KhyXXanSkyXTod Thank you so much for all your support!_**

I was seven and had to perform at the annual concert of my piano class. I remembered feeling excited and confident, like every child should be. I was waiting for my mom to show up and support me, refusing to leave the hallway of the theatre before she'd arrive. I waited and waited, pacing up and down until five minutes before my performance. She didn't come.  
>I remembered sitting on the floor, crying, when my teacher came. He made me go up stage anyway, stating that the show had to go on. Of course I made mistakes, of course I forgot everything I learned. It was a total fail. I'd been afraid to perform ever since that night.<br>When my mom didn't come to pick me up, my piano teacher brought me home. After thirty minutes of ringing the doorbell, calling her and throwing stones at the window of her bedroom, my mom finally opened the door, wine bottle in hand.

"I can't believe you threw away a chance like that," Maria said, interrupting my thoughts.  
>Her voice was not angry, as I expected, but soft and sad.<br>"Don't make me feel bad about it!" I snapped at her.  
>"I don't mean to, sweetie, I just-" she replied.<br>"You should have told me sooner!" I interrupted, angry at her.  
>Maria sighed and she softly said:<br>"I know, but you would have refused to go and I really think this is the right school for you..."  
>"You should have given me the choice, Maria," I replied, softer now.<br>"I know and I'm really sorry," she said, looking my way.  
>I could immediately tell that she meant it and I nodded. We spent the rest of the journey in silence.<p>

"Did you get in?" mom excitedly asked. I had just stepped out of the car and she was at the door already.  
>"No, mom, I didn't…" I replied, feeling terrible.<br>"Oh, honey!" she started, walking towards me to hug me.  
>I hugged her back, tears falling again. It was not just because of how terrible the audition went, but because she hadn't hugged me in months as well. I held on tight and so did mom. I breathed in the familiar smell of her perfume and started to sob. She lovingly rubbed my back and held me even tighter, if possible.<br>"She's got stage fright," Maria softly explained.  
>I could see a look of disappointment in her eyes and it broke my heart. I pulled away from mom, not looking at either of them.<br>"I ehm… I'm in my room," I softly said and quickly walked inside.  
>I ignored Gerry asking me how it went, because the lump in my throat didn't allow me to talk.<br>I ran upstairs, to the safety of my room and was planning on locking myself up there for the next twenty-four hours. I couldn't stop the memories from coming.

In the months after the divorce and the moving, mom had been a wreck. She would spend days in bed and she'd often drink her problems away at night. By simply existing, I was one of those problems and I knew it. But no matter how good my grades were and how hard I tried to make her happy, it didn't help. So I spent most of my time practising for my piano lessons, pretending to be happy. That's when my love for the instrument really started. I loved how I could put all my emotions and thoughts in the music, how I could run away from reality. It made me feel peaceful and confident.

After my piano teacher discovered mom's alcohol problem, he made her look for professional help. Things got better again and we were happy.  
>At least, I thought we were. Two years ago, at my fifteenth birthday, I finally realised that mom had been unhappy all those years. And when she met Gerry in the hospital, she finally felt whole again.<p>

"Laura," a soft voice said. It was Maria, knocking on my door.  
>It startled me, as I was lost in thought. I hadn't noticed that I'd started crying again until then.<br>"Yes," I replied, wiping away my tears.  
>Maria slowly opened the door and said:<br>"Your mom and Gerry just left for the interview. She was already late and wanted me to tell you that she's sorry that she can't be there for you."  
><em>"Oh, I forgot, the interview...," <em>I thought, _"Just when I need her the most...''  
><em>Maria sat down on the bed next to me.  
>"Are you okay?" she softly asked, putting an arm around me.<br>"No...," I said, "I completely messed up..."  
>A silence filled the room.<br>"Maria, do we have wheat, eggs, butter, sugar, chocolate bars and chocolate powder?" I asked. I suddenly felt a huge desire of baking, like I always did when I felt bad.  
>A smile appeared on Maria's face.<br>"Chocolate cupcakes again?" she asked.  
>Despite of all my negative feelings, I smiled back, stating:<br>"Chocolate cupcakes it is."


	6. Chapter 6

**_Hey everyone!_**

_**Chapter six.=)  
>Enjoy!<strong>_

_**Henrike.**_  
><em><strong>p.s:<br>506thpir Thank you very much for your sweet review! You made me smile!  
>Sharpay Evans 11 Thank you again for everything! I love talking to you.<br>Cheernerd7 Thank you for your constructive criticism.  
>KhyXXanSkyXTod Thank you for yet another sweet review!<strong>_

Dynamic, lively music filled the room and found its way upstairs, through open windows and out of the french doors that led to the big garden. I was writing a new piano piece in honor of the terrible audition and got lost in the music once again. I managed to put all my emotions in it: disappointment, anger, sadness and frustration. But somewhere in between the notes, I couldn't help but add a positive feeling as well. It was a sense of happiness that I felt when I thought of meeting André and how nice he'd been to me.

"Laura, I'm going to the grocery store!" Maria called, interrupting both the music and my thoughts, "I'll be back in two hours!"  
>"Okay!" I replied, starting to play the piece all over again, trying to think of new things and improvements.<br>"Don't forget the cupcakes!" Maria called.  
>I stopped and sighed, annoyed, "I won't!"<br>Maria finally left the house while humming what I had just played. I smiled, shaking my head, and looked at the sheet music in front of me. It had been three hours since the audition and I already wrote two pages. Picking up my pencil, I changed some notes and thought of new ones.

Some playing and writing later, I got stuck after a really important chord. I put the pencil in my mouth, trying to think of something to follow the chord. Minutes went by and I couldn't think of anything: I had officially reached a writer's block.  
>That's when the doorbell rang. I looked at the clock, confused. It had only been thirty minutes since Maria had left the house and there was no way that she could be back already. I got up from the piano stool, putting the pencil back on the piano, and quickly walked to the front door.<br>_"Who could it be?" _I asked myself.  
>Since there was no window in or next to the door, I didn't know who or what to expect. I curiously opened the door.<br>"André?" I stated, surpised to see the handsome guy standing there.  
>"Hey," he softly said while smiling at me.<br>He immediately reminded me of the whole drama that afternoon. The emotions I had just played away, came back to me, leaving me frustrated and sad. I tried to brush it off, but I couldn't.  
>"So," André said, interrupting my thoughts, "can I come in?"<br>He still had that smile on his face, but I could see some concern in his eyes as well. He'd probably noticed how my mind had wandered off.  
>"Sure," I said, trying to sound normal. But inside, I was ashamed, because he'd seen me when I was vulnerable. He had seen my fears and tears, my deepest self and I felt uncomfortable because of that. He'd also seen how I could get lost in the music and that was something that no one had ever seen before, not even mom or Maria. But with André, it felt safe to completely give myself to the music and it actually just happened. But when he stood in front of my house, all I felt was shame.<br>André had walked in and was looking around. He immediately saw the piano and his face lit up.  
>"Wow," he said, staring at the white piano.<br>His reaction made me laugh, "I know right?"  
>André smiled back at me. I followed him as he walked towards the piano and watched him sit down. He put down his backpack and gently ran his fingers over the piano keys, playing a little something. His talent blew me away and I unintentionally closed my eyes, enjoying the music.<br>The smell of cupcakes made me open my eyes again and run to the kitchen in just a few seconds. The piano music stopped.  
>"What's wrong?" André yelled.<br>"Cupcakes!" I replied in a high-pitched voice, as if that one word would explain everything. I heard him chuckle at my response.  
>I quickly put on an oven mitt, opened the oven door and pulled the plate out of the oven.<br>"Yes!" I shrieked, relieved that the cupcakes were alright. I heard André laugh again.  
>"How do they look?" he asked.<br>"Amazing!" I replied, really happy.  
>He chuckled again. After that, there was a silence.<br>I put down the plate and started to gather the stuff I needed for decorating the cupcakes. I also got something to drink for both André and me.  
>Then suddenly, I heard something that truly touched my heart: soft, gentle piano music came from the living room and filled the entire house. André was playing the piano piece that I was working on. I slowly walked into the living room while listening to André. He completely felt what I had tried to put into the piece, but he took it to a whole other level by simply adding passion. It was just breathtaking.<p>

_**That's it for now, you guys!  
>I hope you enjoyed it.<br>Feel free to comment and please, stay tuned for chapter seven.=D**_

**_xoxo and thank you for reading,_**  
><strong><em>Henrike.<em>**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hello Everyone,**_

_**Chapter seven!=)  
>Enjoy!<strong>_

_**Henrike.**_  
><em><strong>p.s: the usual shoutouts:<strong>_  
><em><strong>Sharpay Evans 11 Thank you for everything, for all your support!<strong>_

Before I knew it, André had stopped playing since there were no more notes written and a silence filled the room.  
>"That was amazing...," I softly said as I sat down next to André.<br>My shoulder brushed against his, which made my entire body shiver, but I tried to ignore it.  
>"The piece is amazing," he replied, "Did you write it?"<br>I nodded, "Yeah. It's not exactly finished, though, I got stuck."  
>"Yeah, I noticed," André replied, smiling at me.<br>I smiled back, handing him a glass of juice.  
>"Thanks," he said, taking a sip before putting it down on the piano.<br>"It's just that I can't think of anything to follow the chord," I said, using the pencil to point out what I meant. "You see," I added, "these notes lead to that chord and then I can't find a way to go on."  
>André nodded, understanding what I was saying.<br>"Maybe if you'd change these notes into this," he said, taking the pencil from my hand as he started changing and adding some things, "then you could change the chord into A minor. It's much easier to continue from there."  
>I was stunned by how quick he came up with a solution.<br>"You're right!" I said and I played what André just wrote. I immediately came up with a new line of notes and chords and André wrote them down.  
>"Exactly!" he said, giving me one of his killer smiles.<br>"Thanks," I said, happy to be able to write on.  
>A silence came between us as we both drank something.<br>"So," I started, putting my glass down, "what exactly are you doing here?"  
>I tried my best not to sound rude and to my surprise, André's smile widened.<br>"Well…," he mysteriously said as he looked for something in his backpack, "Principal Eikner sent me here with a letter."  
>I looked at him, dropping my mouth, "What?"<br>André chuckled at my reaction.  
>"Here it is!" he said, handing me an envelope.<br>It had my name written on it with big, curvy letters: _Laura Price_. I held it to my chest, both hope and fear filling my heart.  
>"Is this a good thing?" I anxiously asked, my eyes widening and my heart racing.<br>"Just open it!" André said while laughing.  
>I took a deep breath, trying to organize the million thoughts in my head.<br>_"Why do I want to get into Hollywood Arts all of a sudden?" _I asked myself, confused by the hope that had suddenly sparked within me. The answer was obvious: being able to work on my passion was a dream come true. Getting into Hollywood Arts would be a life-changing journey for me, I just didn't realise it yet. Instead, I took another deep breath and quickly opened the envelope to take a letter out of it.  
>"What does it say?" André asked, leaning towards me to be able to read it.<br>I read it out loud:  
>"Dear Laura, we have decided to give you another chance to get into Hollywood Arts, because we saw something special in you this afternoon. Your audition is scheduled next Friday, at three pm. We would like to hear you play a piano piece. Also, you have to sing something. You are allowed to accompany yourself. André Harris will help you prepare for your audition. Yours sincerely, the Hollywood Arts Jury."<br>André looked down at me with a huge smile, "That's amazing!"  
>"I...I can't believe it!" I stuttered, shaking my head over and over again.<br>Tears were rolling down my face and André noticed them as I looked up at him. His smile immediately turned into a worried look.  
>"Are you okay?" he asked, touching my shoulder.<br>I quickly wiped the tears away and looked down, "Yeah, it's just..."  
>I sighed, not finishing my sentence.<br>André gently brushed some of my black curls out of my face, softly asking: "It's just what?"  
><em>"Gosh, why does he make me shiver all the time?" <em>I thought.  
>"It's just that I don't get it," I said, "I mean, I'm really thankful and happy, but I don't understand. I completely messed up the audition and I don't deserve another chance at all."<br>"It says right here that you do," André said, pointing at the letter.  
>"But-" I started, but he interrupted me.<br>"No buts, the judges know who to choose," he sternly said, "you shouldn't question their judgement."  
>"I think you're right," I replied, feeling guilty.<br>"I know I am," André playfully said and we laughed again.

But realization had soon dawned on us: the audition was in two days, which meant that there was only one day left to prepare for it. André and I agreed that he would come to my house again the next day, so we could practise all day. We spent the rest of the evening writing music, practising, laughing and talking to each other. It had been a while since I'd had such a great time. André looked like he enjoyed it as well. He left around nine pm, after his grandmother called him and was freaking out about things that kept moving on her wall or something.  
>"I need to get her some butter," André had said.<br>We said our goodbyes and when I closed the door, I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the evening.

When Maria came home, I immediately told her the great news and her reaction was priceless: I don't think I'd ever seen someone that proud and happy before. I helped her put away the groceries and was planning on decorating the cupcakes after that.  
>"Maria, when will mom be home?" I asked, dying to tell my mom about the letter and everything.<br>"Ehm," Maria started, avoiding eye contact, "she called me to say that her interview in New York got postponed to next Tuesday. She and Gerry are staying there until then."  
>My heart sank, but I simply replied with a soft "Oh...".<br>After a while, I felt tears sting in the corners of my eyes and I bitterly said: "I guess that moving here won't change anything."  
>Maria immediately pulled me into a comforting hug, saying: "Don't think like that, honey, she will probably be home more often..."<br>It didn't sound too convincing and I pulled away.  
>"She won't," I angrily said, "She will keep acting like I don't even exist."<br>And with that, I ran up to my room. I locked the door, ignored Maria's attempts to get me out of there, and cried myself to sleep once again.

_**That's it for now!  
>Thank you for reading this story.<br>I hope you enjoyed it.=)  
>Please, feel free to leave a review or a pm, always appreciated.<br>I'll try to update soon!  
>Henrike.<strong>_


	8. Chapter 8

**_Hello everyone,_**

_**Here is chapter eight.  
>This chapter might be a little bit boring and I'm sorry.<br>I had a bit of a writer's block, but **__**I hope you'll like it anyway!=)  
>I can't believe that I've written so many chapters already!<strong>_  
><em><strong>Enjoy reading and feel free to leave a comment.<strong>_

_**Henrike.**_

The sun shone on my face the next morning, waking me up. I groaned at the alarm clock that displayed '6:45' and I got even moodier when I felt that my eyes were all puffy. I turned to my other side, pulling the covers around me. Minutes later, I got up while groaning when realizing that I wouldn't fall back asleep. I walked to my closet and took my sport clothing out of it. When I got dressed, I tiptoed downstairs, afraid to wake up Maria. I shuffled into the kitchen, still feeling sleepy.  
>"Oh hey, Laura," a happy Maria said, when I opened the door.<br>"Oh my gosh!" I shrieked, startled by her unexpected presence in the kitchen. That totally made the sleepiness go away at once.  
>Maria, who was making breakfast, laughed as I was still catching my breath, holding my hands to my chest.<br>"Sorry to startle you," she teasingly said, flipping a pancake in the air as if it was the easiest thing on earth.  
>"You don't mean a word of that!" I mumbled, getting myself a glass of juice.<br>"Got out of bed on the wrong side again?" she asked and then chuckled at the face I made.  
>"I'm gonna go running," I said.<br>"Have a pancake first, sweetie," Maria said.

After eating the pancake, I ran upstairs to get my pear pod. I went in my room, put my hair in a pony tail and grabbed the pear pod.  
>"I'll be back in an hour!" I yelled as I ran downstairs.<br>"Okay, take care!" Maria replied from the kitchen.  
>I closed the door behind me and turned on my music. After doing some warming up exercises, I started running to the local park. I wasn't a very good runner, but it helped me stay fit and it usually made my sleepiness go away. Not that I needed the last thing that day: Maria scaring me was enough to feel wide awake.<p>

I had reached the park within ten minutes and decided to run around the lake and then run back home. Some seconds later, a stupid song came on and I took my pear pod out of my pocket to change the song. I did all this while running, but I wasn't a star at doing two things at a time, so I wasn't watching where I was going. Then I suddenly heard someone scream 'look out!' behind me. I turned my head to see who yelled, but ran into someone in front of me instead. I shrieked and before I knew it, we were on the ground: the other person on top of me.  
>Some seconds went by and I was still in shock. Then I suddenly heard familiar laughter coming from the person I ran into. I removed some hair out of my face, so I could see who it was.<br>"André?" I exclaimed, surprised to see him in the park so early.  
>He laughed and said:<br>"Hey. I thought we'd agreed on you watching where you were going."  
>I laughed at that, until I suddenly realized what position we were in.<br>"Ehm, André?" I started while blushing.  
>"Yeah?" he replied, still oblivious of what was going on.<br>"You're ehm... You're on top of me..." I said.  
>André finally broke eye contact and looked around him.<br>"Oh...," he slowly said.  
>"Yeah...!" I replied.<br>André quickly stood up and helped me get up as well. The old lady that had warned me, was looking at us in shock, her little dog barking our way.  
>"So, what are you doing here at this hour?" André asked.<br>"Oh, you know, just running," I replied, "I woke up early and couldn't sleep again. What about you?"  
>"I run every morning," André replied, "and this is my favorite place."<br>I looked around and had to agree with him: the lake in the center of the park was beautiful and so was everything around it. There was something peaceful about it all. It was breathtaking.  
>André and I talked for a while and decided to meet at my house around nine am.<br>"So, I'll see you then," he said while smiling at me.  
>"See you then," I replied, smiling back.<br>We then went our seperate ways and both ran home.

"This is the voice mail of Elizabeth Hayes. I can't talk to you right now, so please leave a message after the beep and I'll call you back later."  
>I sighed and waited for the beep.<br>"Hey mom, it's me, Laura. Again. I know you're probably busy, but I have something really important to tell you! Please, call me back as soon as possible. I love you, bye."  
>I pressed the red button and put down my phone. I was in my room and had just taken a shower. I had about an hour left before André would come over. The nerves for the second audition really started building up inside me. I went downstairs and into the kitchen where Maria was still baking stuff.<br>"Hey, how was running?" she asked.  
>"It was good," I said, "I ran into André at the park. He'll be here in an hour."<br>"Oh, what a coincidence," Maria said.  
>"Not really," I replied, "he says he runs every morning and that the park is his favorite place to go running."<br>"Oh," Maria simply said. She placed a plate with pancakes on the table and we sat down and had breakfast.

**_Thank you for reading!  
>I really appreciate all the reviews and pm's about the story.<br>Please, keep telling me if you like it or not and help me improve!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Hello people!_**

**_First of all I want to apologize that it took me so long to update._**  
><strong><em>I've been very busy ever since school started two weeks ago.<em>**  
><strong><em>But I hope you'll love this chapter!<em>**  
><strong><em>Please, stay tuned for the next chapter: I have a surprise for you all!=D<em>**

**_Henrike._**  
><strong><em>p.s: I want to thank some people:<em>**  
><strong><em>Chachi94 Thank you for adding this story to your favorites!<em>**  
><strong><em>tigerlilygurl&amp;rejectofreality313 Thanks for adding this to your story alerts!<em>**

It was eleven in the morning and André and I decided to take a break, because we'd been rehearsing for about two hours. It was going well: we had been working on the piano piece until then. It was the piece that I had played for André on the first audition day and I actually started to feel quite confident and proud about it.  
>When I walked to the kitchen to get us something to drink and eat, I heard André talk to someone.<br>_"Guess his Grandma called again,"_ I thought.  
>She had called him several times since he woke up, freaking out about how she'd ran out of butter again. André promised her that he'd bring her some later that day. He really was one of the sweetest guys I knew, caring for his grandmother like that.<br>I took a tray and put two cupcakes and two glasses of juice on it. When I walked into the living room, André quickly ended the phone conversation.  
>"Okay, I'll see you at three," he said.<br>"Was that your grandma again?" I asked as I walked into the living room.  
>"Oh, orange juice, I love orange juice!" André cheerfully said, completely ignoring my question.<br>I raised my eyebrows at his obvious attempt to suddenly change the subject, but I decided to just sit down next to him and I dropped the subject. We were sitting on the couch, talking about music, Hollywood Arts and his friends.  
>"Tori's a really talented singer, actor and dancer," André said, that smile appearing again. "She got into HA about a year ago when her sister, Trina, couldn't perform because her tongue got swollen. Tori had to take Trina's place, but she'd never performed until then. She did a great job, though. Principal Eikner asked her to come to Hollywood Arts and she did."<br>"Really?" I replied, "Wow, she must be really good. And what about the puppet guy?"  
>André told me all about his friends, showing me some videos and pictures at the school site, the Slap.<br>They all seemed to be really nice and fun to hang out with. Well, sort of, because there was this one girl, Jade, appeared to be kind of mean. She was Beck's girlfriend. It was funny, 'cause Beck looked like he was really nice. But I figured that their differences were probably what made their relationship so strong.  
>Then there was this super happy girl, Cat, who appeared to be a little crazy. But according to her profile video, she was an amazing singer.<p>

After talking for at least an hour, André and I ate some sandwiches Maria made for us and then went back to rehearsing.  
>"So, what song are you going to sing for the audition?" André asked.<br>"Ehm, it's a song I wrote like a year ago," I said, "I wrote if for ehm... for the possibility of becoming a professional musician one day. I was just trying to imagine what it would be like."  
>I was silent for a second, looking down.<br>"I know it's stupid, but-"  
>André interrupted me.<br>"It's not stupid," he gently said, "can I hear it?"  
>I sighed, "Okay then."<br>I put my hair over my shoulders and took a deep breath before I touched the keys and started playing the intro. Then I shyly started singing the words that meant so much to me:  
><em>"I can almost see it, that dream I'm dreaming, but there's a voice inside my head saying "you'll never reach it". Every step I'm taking, every move I make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking. But I gotta keep tryin', gotta keep my head held high."<br>_I hadn't played the song for ages, but it went pretty well. After singing the final note and finishing the song, I shyly looked at André.  
>He looked at me in surpise: mouth dropped and eyebrows raised. I giggled and nervously asked:<br>"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"  
>"You are really good," André simply said.<br>"Thank you," I shyly replied, "but do I really have to sing? I mean, that's not really my thing."  
>"What are you talking about?" he replied, eyes widening, "you have an amazing voice!"<br>I was about to deny it, but André didn't allow me to do so by gently touching my arm and saying:  
>"Just believe me, okay?"<br>He looked at me in a way that made it impossible to protest. We spent the next hour rehearsing, talking and laughing some more.

Suddenly the door bell rang. André and I were taking a break again and I quickly got up from the couch to walk to the hallway.  
>"I'll get it!" I yelled to Maria, who was upstairs doing the laundry.<br>So I walked to the front door, curiously opening it.  
>"Oh my gosh, you must be Laura!" a superexcited Cat shrieked. Then she practically ran past me, straight into the living room. After that, Robbie awkwardly walked in, apologizing for Cat's behaviour.<br>"She had too much ice cream," he explained. Then he walked to the living room as well.  
>"Hey, André!" I heard Cat say.<br>"Hey, little red," he replied, "thanks for coming over."  
>I was still standing in the hall way, front door opened, just shocked at the girl's energy.<br>_"What are they doing here?"_ I thought.  
>But I didn't get the time to find an answer, as I heard someone say:<br>"Hey, Laura!"  
>I looked outside and saw Tori walking towards the house as well. She had a secretive grin on her face. A girl in dark and a handsome guy were following her. Tori introduced them to me, saying:<br>"Laura, these are Beck and Jade."  
>"Hey," Beck said.<br>"Nice to meet you," I replied.  
>"Whatever...," Jade muttered, "can we come in already?"<br>"Jade!" Tori said.  
>"What?" Jade replied, looking like she could kill somebody, "I didn't want to go here! I don't want to help some girl I don't know!"<br>"Jade!" Tori called.  
>"Jade, remember what we talked about earlier?" Beck calmly asked, standing in front of her.<br>"I don't," Jade replied, looking him daringly in the eyes.  
>"You promised you'd be nice," he said.<br>"So what?" she replied.  
>"If you break that promise, I won't talk to you all day," Beck replied.<br>Silence. Jade angry look faded.  
>"So are you going to be nice?" Beck asked.<br>"Yes," Jade softly said.  
>Beck smiled and then they all walked into my house.<p>

**_Thank you for reading!  
>Please, comment andor stay tuned for the next chapter._**


	10. Chapter 10

_**So, I promised you guys a surprise and here it is: this chapter is written in André's point of view.  
>I hope you like it just as much as I do.<br>Also, thank you to Sharpay Evans 11 and KhyXXanSkyXTod for your amazing support!  
>Enjoy!<strong>_

_**p.s: The piano piece that Laura playes is called Love Me by Yiruma. It would be awesome if you guys would take the time to actually listen to the song. Especially in the last paragraph.=)**_

"Hey, André!" Cat called, quickly hugging me before running around the room.  
>"Hey, little red," I replied, smiling at her energy.<br>Seconds later Robbie walked in, muttering that Cat had eaten too much ice cream.  
>"Dude, you finally asked her out?" I asked, keeping my voice down.<br>"No," he whispered, "I didn't dare to call it a date and said the ice cream was my birthday present to her."  
>"But her birthday was six months ago!" I replied, raising my voice.<br>"Shh!" Robbie shushed, worriedly looking at Cat, who was still running around, "I know! I told her it was a belated present."  
>"Oh," I replied, not wanting to hurt his feelings by laughing.<br>"He's an idiot," Rex said and after that they started fighting.  
>Tori, Beck, Jade and Laura had walked in and Laura looked really puzzled. Cat suddenly stopped running as she saw the gang.<br>"Oh my gosh, hi everyone!" she shrieked, pulling Tori, Jade and Beck in a group hug. They protested as Cat tightened the hug.  
>"I missed you guys!" she called as she finally let go, "I'm so glad school starts next week!"<p>

We had talked for a while when Maria walked in.  
>"Laura, what's go-" she started, but she stopped as she saw the visitors.<br>"Oh, you must be Laura's mother!" Cat happily said.  
>"Not really," Maria kindly replied, "I'm her governess."<br>Everyone became quiet.  
>"You have a nanny?" Jade asked, looking at Laura in disbelief.<br>"Yeah, ehm, I'm gonna get you guys something to drink," Laura nervously said.  
>With that, she quickly disappeared as she walked to the kitchen. Maria followed her.<br>"Did you have to say that?" I asked Jade.  
>"What? Don't you think it's weird that she has a nanny?" Jade replied.<br>"Well yeah, but there's no reason to-" I started, but I stopped as Laura walked into the living room again. She awkwardly stood next to me and looked around. Tori, Cat and Robbie were having a conversation and Jade and Beck started being all lovey dovey.  
>I turned to Laura, saying: "So..."<br>"Why are they all here?" she whispered.  
>"Well," I started louder than I wanted, causing everyone to look at us.<br>"I ehm... I figured that you have stage fright and since I'm your tutor, I thought I'd help you with that," I softly said.  
>Laura looked at me with suspicion.<br>"So...?" she asked.  
>I laughed a little, but she didn't seem to think it was funny, so I quickly became serious again.<br>"So, I invited everyone to come over and listen to what we've been working on today," I said.  
>"You what?" Laura replied, her voice higher than usual.<br>She looked up at me with those beautiful deep-brown eyes and I saw an expression of fear in them. I somehow felt the urge to hold her and tell her that everything was gonna be alright: she looked so vulnerable. I gently grabbed her shoulders and softly said:  
>"I know you can do it, you are amazing...!"<br>The touch did not go by without the shiver I felt everytime we touched. I tried to shake it off and looked down at Laura, who still looked unconvinced and was about to protest.  
>"Just believe me, okay?" I added and I let go of her shoulders.<br>Silence filled the room as the whole gang had listened to us, but Cat broke it by calling:  
>"Aww, André, that was so sweet!"<br>I saw a blush appear on Laura's cheeks as she quickly looked away. My heart melted.

Thirty minutes had gone by and now Laura was nervously sitting on the piano stool. When everyone was finally sitting on a couch, a chair or a lap, I encouraged Laura to start by smiling at her. She seemed to immediately understand the gesture, but hesitated a moment before she touched the keys and started playing that beautiful piano piece.  
>After a few notes, everyone became quiet. The effect of the beautiful music was soon visible as, when I looked around, I saw Jade and Beck move even closer. Cat looked at Robbie, he looked back and then they shyly looked away again. They were both blushing and I smiled at the sight of it. Everyone knew how much they liked each other, everyone except for them. I guess that's how things used to be between Tori and I. But we let it slip away, and I think it was a wise choice: we are supposed to be best friends. I looked at Tori and she turned her head, looking my way. She smiled at me as if she knew what I was thinking. I smiled back, knowing we were both okay with being best friends rather than lovers.<br>"She's good," Tori mouthed.  
>I smiled and answered, "I know."<br>We broke eye contact and looked at Laura who had closed her eyes and was playing with all her heart. That was something that I loved about her: everytime she made music, she did it with her heart, as a true musician should.  
>The last chords and notes filled the room and then the music stopped. Laura shyly looked at everyone as a long silence had filled the room.<br>"That was beautiful," Cat finally whispered. She had tears in her eyes.

**_Thank you very much for reading.  
>Please, leave me a comment or a message. I'd love to know what you likeddidn't like so that I can improve.  
>Also, I'd love to know what you would like to happen in this story!<em>**

**_Thanks again._**  
><strong><em>Henrike.<em>**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Hey there,_**

**_Laura's POV this time.=)_**

**_Enjoy reading!_**

I sighed as I sat down at one of the three chairs that were placed in the hallway. I looked around and noticed a back pack leaning against the chair next to me.  
><em>"Guess I'm not the only one to audition," <em>I thought, pulling my phone out of my pocket to text André.  
>André had promised he would come, but he wasn't there yet and it was 2:45 pm already. I worriedly texted him, asking where he was. I was still kind of mad at him for inviting all his friends over the other day, but it had turned out really well. They all loved both the piano piece and the song, saying that I shouldn't be nervous for the audition. They were really sweet to me. So, despite being a little mad at André, I had to admit that his idea did help me to be less nervous when performing. Maria couldn't come with me to the audition, because she had a job interview at a local restaurant. She said that she'd come as soon as possible, but it wasn't likely that she'd be there in time. My next-door neigbor had to bring her three-year old daughter to the pre-school next to Hollywood Arts, so she could drive me there.<p>

"Hey," a voice suddenly said, interrupting my thoughts.  
>I looked up and saw a very handsome guy with blond hair and green eyes. He sat down at the chair next to me.<br>"Hey," I replied, putting my phone down as I had sent the text.  
>"I'm Nick," he said, smiling at me.<br>I couldn't help but think: _"Wow, he's cute."  
><em>I took his extended hand while smiling back at him, saying: "I'm Laura."  
>We talked for a while and he told me that he was there to audition for the first time, 'cause he wasn't in town at the first audition day. I explained why I was there for the second time.<br>"So, what do you play?" I asked after we talked about stage fright for a while.  
>"The drums," he replied, proving it by showing me his drum sticks.<br>"Cool!" I said, "You any good?"'  
>"That's up to you to decide," he said and then he instantly started jamming.<br>"Awesome!" I said, standing in awe of his skills.  
>"What do you play?" he asked, then added: "No, wait, I'll guess."<br>I laughed a little, "Okay."  
>He somewhat turned his body so that he could look at me better.<br>"Could you give me your hand?" he asked as if it was perfectly normal to ask such a thing.  
>I felt my cheecks redden a bit.<br>"Okay...," I slowly said, putting my hand in his.  
>"Hmm," he said while examing my fingertops. It tickled and I giggled.<br>"It's not the guitar," he thoughtfully said, "I think it is-"  
>Suddenly I heard a cough, which really, really startled me. I quickly pulled back my hand as I saw André looking down at us. I somehow felt a strange sensastion like I did something wrong and just got caught, even though I knew I didn't. Nick and I got up and after introducing the guys, I heard a door open and close.<br>"Laura!" a familiar high-pitched voice called.  
>Seconds later, Cat was hugging me tight, making me laugh.<br>"Cat!" I happily stated, surprised to see her there, but glad that she broke the awkward silence.  
>Then I saw the whole gang walking towards us.<br>"Surprise!" Cat said, letting go of me.  
>"We thought you could use some support," Tori explained while smiling at me.<br>"Oh my gosh, you guys, you didn't have to do this!" I replied, overwhelmed by how sweet they were to me.  
>"I know, but they made me," Jade muttered, ruining the moment.<br>This caused Beck and Tori to scold at her, but I tried to lighten the mood by quickly introducing Nick.

Minutes later, the door to the audition room was opened.  
>"Thank you, Hannah," Lane said, "Please, do come back next year."<br>A furious, redheaded girl stamped into the hallway, pushing everyone out of her way. It only took seconds for her to get out of the school.  
>"That was weird," Tori said, putting into words what we all thought.<br>Meanwhile, Lane had walked into the hallway and now asked me to come in. The nerves got the better of me, but I tried to stay calm as everyone wished me good luck. Cat caught me in a hug once again, making me smile and less nervous. I took a deep breath and turned around to walk into the audition room, only to be stopped by someone calling my name.  
>"Maria!" I stated after I turned around, "You made it!"<br>She was swiftly walking through the hallway towards me, pulling me into a tight hug as soon as she could.  
>"Good luck, honey!" she said, "You can do it."<p>

I slowly breathed out, letting go of the piano pedal, my fingers trembling and my heart racing. I looked up and smiled: the judges were all clapping and I knew that I'd given my all. I got up from the piano bench and playfully bowed to thank them for their applause.  
>"That was breathtaking, Laura," Miss Jones said, "Did you write both the piece and the song yourself?"<br>"Yes," I replied.  
>"That's amazing," she added, "And your singing voice is beautiful as well. I'd love to work with you this year."<br>"I totally agree!" an excited Mr. Anderson added, "Your piano skills are fantastic and I can tell that you are very, very musical."  
>I was stunned and couldn't seem to think of anything to say except for 'thank you so much'.<br>"I agree with my colleagues here," Mr. Gradstein said, looking down on his papers, "But of course, there's a lot more to learn."  
>Then Sikowitz added: "I think you should work on performing this year, just to get over your stage fright, but also to learn how to communicate with the audience. I think my classes could help you with achieving this goal."<br>"You should also work on your posture," Madame McKee added, her French accent beaming through, "Because you seem very shy, even though there's absolutely no reason for you to be shy. As the other judges said, you're really talented. So, it's all very positive. And you're a fast learner, considering you prepared for this audition in just a day."  
>"Absolutely," Miss Jones said while smiling, "You should be very proud of yourself."<br>"Thank you all so much...!" I softly said.  
>After a short silence Lane said: "You know, Laura, we wanted to give you a second chance because we saw something special in you. You have this glow when you make music or even when you talk about it and I think it's the passion for music that makes you so special. You share that passion with a lot of the people here at Hollywood Arts and I know that you will be able to learn a lot of things here. When you had to answer our questions at the first audition, your answers were right, but you were so shy about it. But, honestly, there's no need to be shy. So, girl, please stand up straight and show the world what you've got, 'cause you have a lot of talent."<br>After being told that I was through, I turned around and thanked the judges one more time.  
>"We're very happy to have you," Miss Jones replied, smiling.<br>My fingers were still shaking as I reached for the door handle and opened the door.  
>"I am through!" I yelled, only to jump aside as Cat, Tori and André tumbled into the audition room.<br>Maria, Nick and the rest of the gang were standing in the hallway, laughing.  
>"I told you guys not to listen at the door!" Robbie said.<br>All he got as an answer was groaning.

Seconds later, when everyone was on their feet again, Maria had taken me in her arms, tears in her eyes.  
>"I'm so proud of you, honey!" she lovingly said.<br>"Thank you...," I softly replied, hugging her tight, "I'm so happy...!"  
>When I let go of her, I saw Cat was jumping up and down of excitement.<br>She and Tori hugged me, saying how happy they were for me. Beck, Jade, Nick and Robbie congratulated me by simply saying it.  
>I turned around to find the one person I was missing: André. I saw that he was standing right behind me and I instantly hugged him. He held me tight and suddenly, there was just André and me: his arms around my waist, mine around his neck. I felt safe and tingly at the same time.<br>"Thank you," I whispered in his ear and I could feel him shiver, "Thank you for believing in me..."

_**That's it for now.=)  
>Hope you enjoyed this chapter!<br>Henrike.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hey you guys,**_

_**Here's chapter 's a short, a bit boring, chapter, but I hope you like it anyway!  
><strong>__**Enjoy reading!**_

_**Henrike.  
><strong>_

"Hey, dad, it's me," I said, trying my best not to sound too excited.  
>I was calling my dad for our weekly 60-minute conversation. We'd been having those ever since my parents divorced and we had never skipped one. I wanted to tell my dad about getting into Hollywood Arts and all, and I could barely wait.<br>"Hey, my girl, how are you?" his familiar, gentle voice asked.  
>"I have great news!" I replied, no longer able to keep the excitement inside me.<br>Dad softly chuckled and then he said:  
>"I know that tone in your voice. You sounded exactly the same when telling me that your mother allowed you to spend the summer here two years ago."<br>I smiled at the memory, but impatience got the better of me and I asked:  
>"Remember that we moved to Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago?"<br>"Of course I do," dad replied.  
>"Well," I added, "Maria found a performing arts school for me. It's called Hollywood Arts and she made me audition a couple of days ago. I messed up, but I got a second chance and André helped me prepare all day, inviting all his friends over to help me get over my stage fright and now I got in! I got into Hollywood Arts, dad! I'm so excited!"<br>I had said all this within seconds, talking faster and louder by the word while I almost forgot that I still needed to breathe.  
>"Wo-wow, wait a second, love," he said, amusement in his voice, "I didn't understand a word of what you just said, or rather, what you just yelled. Honey, please try again, slower this time. I'm getting old and so are my ears."<br>This made me laugh, "I'm sorry, daddy."  
>"That's okay," he said and I could tell that he was smiling.<br>I told him about everything that happened these past couple of days: about the first audition, the rehearsal day with André, his friends and of course about the second audition.  
>"That's amazing, sweetheart! I'm proud of you. " he said after I told him everything, "So, when does school start?"<br>"This Monday," I said, "I'm so excited!"  
>Dad chuckled again and then asked, "Laura, is your mom around? I need to talk to her about something."<br>"Ehm...," I started, feeling uncomfortable, "She's not here."  
>I tightly closed my eyes, afraid of his reaction. Dad always argued with mom about how she was gone so much and I really didn't want him to do that again. I'd been through enough fights in my life already. After a long, tense silence, dad bitterly asked:<br>"When will she be back?"  
>I swallowed, feeling the anger in his voice.<br>"Next Tuesday," I softly said, "But, please don't be angry with her, dad."  
>"But, honey-" he replied.<br>"Please, dad, just drop it, " I begged, "I've got Maria watching out for me. I'll be fine, I promise. And mom will be back soon."  
>Another silence and then dad softly said:<br>"Okay, then."  
>"I'm sorry, dad, but I have to go now, Maria and I are going to the grocery store," I said, feeling relieved.<br>"Okay, love," he said, "Tell her I said hello."  
>"I will. I love you, dad."<br>"I love you too, Laura."

After going to the grocery store, Maria and I started baking and cooking my favorite food to celebrate that I got into Hollywood Arts. For once, we ate in front of the telly, watching old movies. That's how we spent most of the evening too and I was really enjoying it.  
>While Maria was getting us something to drink, I texted André.<br>**Hey, André. Thanks again 4 everything. Can't wait 'till Monday. Anything special I should make sure 2 take with me? **  
>Somewhat later, I got a reply:<br>**Anytime, girl. :) You're gonna love HA! And no, nothing I can think of.****  
><strong>  
>After the text conversation ended, I tried to call mom once again and after several beeps, I finally heard something.<br>"Hello?" my mom asked. It sounded like she was in the middle of New York City, traffic all over the place.  
>"Mom? It's me," I replied.<br>"Who?" she asked.  
>"Laura!" I replied, speaking up.<br>"Oh, hey, sweetie!" She said, "I'm so sorry I didn't answer your calls, but I was really busy."  
>That hurt.<br>"It's okay...," I mumbled.  
>"What?" mom asked, raising her voice, trying to hear me over the city sounds.<br>"Mom, I got into Hollywood Arts," I said, talking as loud as I could.  
>"Honey, that's fantastic!" she replied.<br>Even though she sounded excited and immediately told Gerry about it, she didn't ask more questions. Instead, she said:  
>"Laura, I'm so sorry, but I have to go now. I'll call you back later and we'll celebrate as soon as we get back from New York, okay?"<br>"Okay," I replied, swallowing to get rid of the lump in my throat.  
>"Bye, hon! I love you!" mom called.<br>"Love you too," I said and I hung up.  
>"Was that your mother?" Maria asked, sitting down next to me.<br>"Yeah," I replied, rubbing my face out of exhaustion.  
>"What'd she say?" Maria asked.<br>"Nothing much," I replied, "She said that it was fantastic, then she had to go and almost forgot to tell me that she loves me."  
>"She does mean it, honey," Maria gently said, pulling a strand of my hair behind my ear, "She does love you."<br>"I know," I softly said, "I just miss her."  
>After a short silence, Maria said:<br>"Why don't we go out for ice cream?"  
>A smile appeared on my face and so we went.<p>

I spent the next days in excitement, anticipation and nervousness, just waiting. I logged in on the Slap with the code that I got, posting a short message saying:  
><strong>So nervous for Monday. Hollywood Arts, here I come! <em>Mood: <em>Psyched.**

**_That's it for now.  
>I really hope you liked it!<br>Henrike. _**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Dear everyone who still follows this story,**_

_**Thank you for reading.**_  
><em><strong>I'd love to know who you are and what you think about this story, so please leave me a comment somehow.=)<strong>_  
><em><strong>Thanks in advance,<strong>_

_**Henrike.**_

A chattering group of people in the hallway formed a minority as most teens were dancing, singing, rapping or even acting instead of just talking. I felt a big smile appear upon my face as I watched all the people doing what they loved. I looked at a couple that was performing an acrobatic dance. The girl, slim and elegant, followed the guy in his fluent movements as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Their bodies seemed to move as one, making me stand in awe.  
>Three girls walked past me, singing in harmony as they made their way to class. And in some corner of the hallway, a guy and girl were acting, script in hand, while looking at each other with the expression of love in their eyes. I tried to make out what they were saying.<br>"Oh, John, please don't leave me, please don't go," the girl pleaded, hugging the guy tightly.  
>He looked like he wanted to hold her, but he didn't. Instead, he gently grabbed her arms, disentangling them from him.<br>"I have to go, Elizabeth, otherwise they will hurt you for loving me. I don't want you to get hurt, do you understand? We are not meant to be together, the world can't stand it," he dramatically said, softly shaking the girl by her shoulders to make her understand.  
>"I'll take that risk, John, all I want is to be with you," the girl replied. Tears were falling down her face.<br>The guy gently cupped her face, wiping her tears away. Their faces were only inches apart.  
>"I will always be there, I promise. I'll be in your heart forever and I'll hold you in mine," he soflty, but urgently said.<br>Tears were still falling from the girl's face as the guy slowly leaned in and kissed her. She returned the kiss, holding her lover tight as she knew that it was their final goodbye.  
>"Hey, Laura!" a voice behind me suddenly said, startling me.<br>I turned around to see Robbie and Rex coming my way.  
>"Oh, hey guys," I replied, a little embarrassed for being caught while watching the young actors in their intimate conversation.<br>I quickly walked towards my locker, next to Andre's, and asked Robbie about the first class I had: acting.  
>"Oh, you can walk with me, I have that class too," Robbie replied.<br>And so we walked to our classroom as I tried to ignore Rex's comments about my 'angel-like beauty', as he loved to call it. Seriously, I could kill that puppet.

I was talking to Tori, who was sitting next to me, as we were waiting for Sikowitz and the rest of our class to arrive.  
>"Hey, do you know if Nick got through the auditions?" I asked after I'd looked around to see if he was there.<br>"I don't know," Tori replied, "I was just wondering the same thing."  
>We didn't get the opportunity to talk on as Sikowitz suddenly walked into the classroom, throwing his bag aside. Sikowitz strolled to the stage, plumping down on it and rested his head in his hands.<br>"I don't want to do this...!" he wailed, sobbing.  
>Everyone became quiet, until Cat, who had slowly walked towards him, worriedly asked:<br>"What's wrong, Sikowitz?"  
>That way, she put into words what we all thought.<br>"Nothing," he happily stated, suddenly hopping up. Cat shrieked as she did not expect that to happen.  
>"Sikowitz!" she exclaimed, "you scared me!"<br>"I was just kidding, Cat, I am so excited to teach you all about the marvellous art of acting!" Sikowitz said, clapping his hands as a huge smile appeared on his face.  
>"Aw, me too!" Cat replied, copying his moves as she suddenly turned happy again.<br>This seriously confused me and I scowled as I wasn't used to Cat's mood swings yet. Still, I already loved her dearly back then.

Minutes later, André, Beck and Jade had arrived as well. The latter were sitting in front of us, but André'd sat down next to me.  
>The bell rang for the second time, announcing that the classes were supposed to start. Everyone stopped talking and Sikowitz told us about everything we were going to do that school year: improvising, musicals, acting with script, mime and a lot of other things.<br>As there were some new students that didn't know what improvising was, Sikowitz asked Jade and Beck to do a drive-by acting exercise or something.  
>They had just started acting, as the door was opened. Jade and Beck stopped and everyone turned around to see who came in.<br>"Nick!" Sikowitz stated as he stopped drinking from his coconut, "You're late...! That means you have to sing us a song!"  
>The victim smiled his handsome smile as he tried to get away with it by drumming instead of singing.<br>"Oh, you won't obey me?" Sikowitz dramatically said, "Then I shall pick the song!"  
>So, Nick was forced to sing the national anthem. We all chuckled at him, but I had to admit: his singing voice was actually really nice. After Nick was done, we all applauded and he playfully bowed before sitting down next to André.<br>"That was good, dude!" André said.  
>"Thanks, man," Nick replied.<br>I think that's the moment when they became friends.

"Could you please pick something already?" the foreign-sounding guy asked.  
>"I'm sorry, but I don't want to buy anything here, I brought my own food, you see?" I frantically replied, "I'm just waiting for a friend!"<br>I had tried to explain this about five times to the owner of the Grub Truck, but he didn't seem to understand. He kept yelling at me and I didn't know what to do.  
>"Laura!" that familiar voice called.<br>I quickly turned around to find André rushing towards me.  
>"That's him," I said to Festus, "that's the friend I've been waiting for."<br>"I don't care who he is, but you can't stand here without buying anything!" he yelled.  
>"It's okay, Festus, she was waiting for me," André said when he was standing beside me.<br>"Alright, alright, I'll let you go because you're with André," Festus murmured.  
>I finally relaxed after being yelled at for about fifteen minutes.<br>"Thanks, Festus!" André replied and he led me through the crowd, towards the Asphalt Café.  
>"But don't think I'll let you go next time!" Festus angrily yelled.<br>"Don't worry about him, he just loves money too much," André gently said when we were out of hearing distance from Festus.  
>"Oh, that explains why he was going to make me pay twenty bucks for just standing there," I replied.<br>André laughed at this, looking even more handsome than usual.  
>"Yeah, that totally sounds like Festus," he replied.<br>We had reached the table where the whole gang, including Nick, was seated and André and I greeted them. André gestured for me to sit down first, and when I did, he sat down as well, his shoulder brushing against mine. The familiar shiver appeared again, taking my breath away. I hadn't heard that Tori asked me something, but when André playfully poked me, I came to my senses again.  
>"Huh?" I asked, "What did I miss?"<br>The whole gang laughed at this and I felt my cheecks flush.  
>"I asked if you like going to Hollywood Arts," Tori repeated, smiling at me.<br>"Are you kidding?" I replied, "I love it here!"

_**That's a wrap!  
><strong>__**Thank you for reading!=)  
><strong>_

**_Henrike._**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey**_** everyone,**_

_**Firstly: I am sorry for not updating in such a long time.  
><strong>__**My excuse? I have been busy with school. Ugh.  
>But now that I've got a school break, I will probably be able to write more!=D<strong>_

_**Anyway, here is chapt****er**** fourteen.**_**  
><strong>_**Enjoy!  
><strong>_  
>The ringing of the doorbell made me open my eyes. I sleepily looked at the alarm clock and immediately jumped out of bed: it was 7:30 already! I ran to Maria's room, which was at the front of the house and looked down from the window to see Mrs Johnson, my neigbor, standing in front of our house. Mrs Johnson always gave me a ride to school, because her son, Riley, was going to the pre-school next to Hollywood Arts. It really wasn't too much trouble for her to take me as well.<br>"Mrs Johnson," I called and I waited for her to look up at me.  
>I could see her two-year old daughter Sophie and Riley sitting in the back of the car, waiting for me.<br>"Oh, hey, Laura!" Sarah Johnson replied.  
>"I'm so sorry, I'll be right there," I said and I quickly ran back to my room, not waiting for an answer.<br>Two minutes later, dressed and all, I hurried down and quickly checked if I hadn't forgotten anything.  
>"I'll buy lunch at school," I said, thinking out loud and with that, I ran to the hallway.<br>On my way to the front door, something caught my eye. It was a note written in Maria's curly handwriting.  
><em>I'm off to the airport to pick up your mom and Gerry<em>.  
>'Oh, right, mom will get home today,' I happily thought and a smile appeared on my face.<br>That explained why Maria didn't wake me up. I was really missing my mom, even though our bond really wasn't that strong. I had just missed her company.  
>I quickly left the house and ran to the car. But in my hastiness, I had forgotten to tie my shoelaces and of course, I fell down. Hard. All the books I was carrying ended up falling about a metre in front of me as I had to use my hands to break my fall.<br>"Laura, are you okay?" Sarah worriedly asked. She was sitting in the front seat, ready to go.  
>I quickly got up and ignored the stinging of my hands when picking up my books. I quickly got into the car.<br>"Yeah, don't worry about it," I said, trying to brush it off.  
>"Are you sure?" she asked.<br>I smiled at her, "Yes."  
><em><br>'I hate this,'_ I thought as I was quickly walking towards the school, _'I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!'  
><em>I was late for Sikowitz's class. I was absolutely positive that he'd make sing in front of the whole class because I was late, and I was not looking forward to that. After finally reaching the main entrance, I pulled at the door only to realise that I needed to push instead. I groaned.  
>"Stupid door!" I angrily muttered, entering the school.<br>Of course, my bag got stuck at the door, roughly pulling me back. I accidentally dropped all the books that I was carrying and got even more frustrated than just a second ago.  
>"Having a bad morning?" a familiar voice behind me asked, startling me.<br>I turned to find Nick grinning at me as he as obviously amused by my behaviour.  
>"Don't even ask...," I muttered, crouching so that I could get my books.<br>Okay, I was never cranky and it wasn't anything like me to act like this, but I'd had a terrible morning and too little sleep.  
>Nick bent down to help me, ignoring my crankiness with a grin still plastered on his face.<br>"Thanks," I said, friendlier this time, as he carried my books and opened the door for me.  
>We walked to my locker and Nick helped me put all my stuff in there. Even though I'd been at Hollywood Arts for a week, I still hadn't customised my locker. I just couldn't seem to think of anything fun or creative and it was getting on my nerves. To be honest: everything drove me mad that day, even the tiniest problem.<p>

"Laura! Nick!" Sikowitz called as Nick and I walked into the classroom, "We were just talking about you!"  
>Everyone turned around to look at us and my cheeks flushed. '<br>"Really, why?" Nick casually asked as he led me to a chair by resting a hand on my back.  
>We slowly sat down, hoping that Sikowitz wouldn't notice that we were late.<br>"It's time!" Sikowitz mysteriously said and suddenly everyone started stamping their feet on the ground, startling me.  
>I caught André's eyes. He secretly grinned at me when I mouthed what was going on.<br>"It's time for the bird scene!" Sikowitz said and the class instantly got silent.  
>"The what?" I asked, confused.<br>"The bird scene," Sikowitz repeated as he was looking for something in his bag.  
>"What's the bird scene?" Nick asked.<br>Sikowitz suddenly threw something towards us and Nick and I caught it.  
>'<em>The Bird Scene'<em> it said and as I flipped some pages, I saw that it was a script.  
>"Anyone who is new at Hollywood Arts has to pass the bird scene before they are allowed to participate in any kind of event. You're both performing this tomorrow. Seperately, that is," Sikowitz said.<br>"But-" I started, but I go cut off by my weird teacher.  
>"No buts, Laura, you are doing this tomorrow," he sterly said, sensing that I didn't want to perform anything in front of anyone.<br>"_Way to make my day even worse, Sikowitz," _I bitterly thought.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hey, you guys!**_

_**First of all I want to wish you all a happy and blessed 2012!**_  
><em><strong>And secondly, thank you to everyone who left me a reviewmessage! I really appreciate it!**_  
><em><strong>Anyway, here's chapter fifteen. It's written in Andre's point of view.<br>****I hope you'll love this chapter!****_  
><em>**_

So, how did this happen? How did I fall for a girl whom I'd barely known for a week? To be honest, it completely made sense to me: Laura was beautiful, sweet, cute and so much more. I loved everything about her: her occasional shyness, her beautiful brown eyes, her cute black curls. I loved how she made me shiver everytime we touched. But most of all: I loved how we had so much in common. For example, our love for music and songwriting. But I couldn't possibly tell her how I felt. Why not? 'Cause I wasn't the only one who liked her. Man, it started to make me wonky in the head!

"André, can I ask you something?" Laura asked.  
>It was on her third day at Hollywood Arts and she was standing next to me as I was putting some stuff in my locker.<br>"Sure, what's up, girl?" I replied as I closed my locker and turned to face her.  
>"Well, I was looking through the list of materials I'm supposed to buy for school and I was wondering: what am I supposed to do with a knife?" she looked up at me with big, curious eyes and I suddenly came up with an idea.<br>"Oh, you know, it's for acting classes," I said, putting on my best serious face.  
>"What?" Laura asked, "why?"<br>"We need knives for when it's Halloween as we do a lot of scenes with blood in it," I said, matter-of-factly.  
>Laura's eyes grew wider and wider.<br>"Say what?" she exclaimed.  
>That seriously made me laugh so loud that the people who were passing just stared at me. This made me laugh even louder.<br>"André," Laura said with a confused expression on her face, "what is it? Why are you laughing?"  
>"You need... that knife... for c... cooking class!" I stuttered in between my laughs.<br>Laura's mouth dropped as realization dawned on her.  
>"I can't believe it! I totally bought that!" she said.<br>Then the most beautiful smile appeared.  
>"I hate you!" she yelled as she playfully hit my chest.<br>I couldn't stop laughing for the next ten minutes and neither could Laura.

Laura had adjusted very quickly to Hollywood Arts' ways. She was already a part of our gang and was accepted by everyone in it. Well, everyone except for Jade. But even Jade seemed to like Laura's presence: she barely said mean things to her. Cat was very happy to have made a new friend and she kept saying that to Laura. The latter always responded with an adorable little chuckle, warming my heart. Tori and Laura had become best friends really soon as they shared a love for music, good food and Hollywood Arts. Beck and Robbie liked Laura too, so basically, she'd really become part of the gang soon. It was like she'd been at HA forever, spending time with us, and to be honest, it felt like it was supposed to be that way. I was really enjoying her being right next to me. Anyone could tell that Laura loved being at HA too: she basically smiled all day long, still amazed by the fact that she'd gotten through the auditions. I wasn't surprised: Laura was really talented. She just didn't realise it yet. Honestly, her songs and piano pieces were so beautiful and well written and her singing voice was amazing as well. She sounded like an angel when she sang. Laura's oblivousness to her talent was probably what made her so special: she didn't know how beautiful, talented and sweet she was. But I might have been a little biased, after all, I really liked her.

Since it was the beginning of the new school year, Laura wasn't the only new student at HA. Nick Parker was new as well. He was a sick drummer, I had to admit that, and he became my friend really soon. Unfortunately, he also liked Laura. I could tell by the way he flirted with her all the time. For one thing, on the second audition day, I walked in on him holding Laura's hand. He was flirting with her big time and Laura was totally buying it, giggling and all. And when they walked into the classroom when they were late the other day, Nick rested his hand on Laura's back and she didn't even seem to mind. I had never been the jealous guy, but honestly, I couldn't stand that Nick was flirting with Laura.  
>"Hey, bro!" Nick said, interrupting my thoughts.<br>"What's up, man?" I replied.  
>We talked about a song I had written as we made our way to the Asphalt Café. There was going to be a play that semester for which I wrote the music. I had asked Nick to do the drum part and he gladly accepted it.<br>"So, we're rehearsing tomorrow at 2 pm?" he asked.  
>"Yeah, in the music room next to the janitor's closet," I replied.<br>"So, who's gonna sing the lead?" Nick asked.  
>"Tori," I replied, "and Laura will play the piano as I will be playing the guitar."<br>"Okay," Nick said, "So, it's you, me, Tori and Laura?"  
>"And Matt, he plays bass," I added.<br>After a short silence Nick said:  
>"So, they are both amazing looking girls, aren't they?"<br>"You mean Laura and Tori?" I asked.  
>"Yeah," he replied, "don't you think so too?"<br>"Sure thing," I replied, ''So, you really like Laura, don't you?"  
>Nick grinned at me, "Yeah."<br>"Me too," I softly said, but Nick didn't hear me anymore. We had reached the table where the gang, including Laura and Tori, was seated and Nick was too busy greeting everyone, so he didn't hear what I said. He quickly sat down next to Laura and they kept talking to each other until the break was over.  
>"André," Tori said, shaking my arm and I snapped out of my trance from bitterly watching Laura giggle at something Nick said, "are you okay?"<br>"Yeah," I softly muttered, "just feeling a bit wonky in the head."

_**That's a wrap! =)  
>I will try to update soon! <strong>_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Hey, you guys!**_

_**Here's chapter sixteen and I'm warning you: it's a long one! =P**_  
><strong><em>Now, I have something to ask you all:<em>  
><strong><em>When Laura turns eighteen, the gang will organise a surprise party for her at Tori's place.<em>  
><em><strong>I found three dresses for Laura and I'd like to give you the opportunity to choose one.<br>Oh, and Laura has black, curly hair and brown eyes. =) Just so you know.  
>So, please go to the website of Tinyurl and put the words below (those with the slash) behind your link.<strong>_  
><em><strong>A: TheFirstOption**_  
><em><strong>B: TheSecondOption**_  
><em><strong>C: TheThirdOption**_  
><em><strong>So, if you leave me a reviewmessage, please put a letter at the end.**_  
><em><strong>For example, if you like option A best, put an 'A' at the end of your comment.<strong>_  
><em><strong>Thanks in advance!<strong>_  
><em><strong>Also, I'd like to thank Annaelle: for all your help and support! =)<strong>_****

**I am SO nervous. Doing the bird scene today. My nerves are killing me. _Mood_: dying.  
><strong>Just when I posted that on the Slap, my alarm clock went off, making my heart skip a beat or two.  
>'It's 6:45 already?' I rethorically asked myself.<br>I slammed the annoying device and went back to memorising my Bird Scene lines. The nerves had caused me to wake up early and I had been memorising my lines ever since.  
>"Only a large, majestic bird with whom I shared my feelings..." I said, over and over again.<br>"A what?" Maria jokingly asked as she walked into my bedroom with a huge grin on her face.  
>She was wearing one of her dresses, which she always did when it would be a warm and sunny day.<br>"Don't ask," I muttered as I put away the script, "I don't want to go to school."  
>Maria's grin faded. She walked towards my bed and sat down next to me. She brushed some curls out of my face and she gently said:<br>"You're gonna be just fine."  
>She had put her arm around me and hugged me.<br>"So, are you sure that mom and Gerry will come back today?" I bitterly asked.  
>"I am sure," she said and she smiled at me, "Now, get out of bed!"<br>She started to tickle me, so I shrieked as I jumped out of bed. I quickly ran away and heard Maria's laughter behind me as she was chasing me.

When I got home the day before, Maria told me that mom and Gerry had missed their flight. That had officially caused that day to be the very worst day ever. Being late for school, falling twice, being told that I had to perform a monologue in front of my whole class: I hated all these things. But the worst thing was that mom broke yet another promise: she said she'd be home, but she wasn't. So, when I called my dad for our weekly conversation, he got angry with mom again.  
>"She's not the caring mother she used to be! You need a mother who is always there for you!" he had yelled.<br>I hadn't been able to say a word as I knew that my dad was absolutely right. Tears had filled my eyes and Maria noticed, so she gently took the phone from my hand and calmed my dad down.  
>"Tom, Elizabeth has a job in which it's difficult to take care of one's daughter or son. That's why she asked me to take care of Laura instead. She was responsable enough to do so, don't forget that."<br>After a while, dad calmed down again and he apologized to me.  
>"It's okay, dad," I softly said. I meant it, though.<br>"I do hope you'll come and visit me during your first school break!" he said in a tone that made me laugh.  
>"I will, dad," I replied and the thought of spending time with my beloved father warmed my heart.<br>"Good," he said and I could hear that he was smiling, "I love you, princess."  
>"I love you too, dad," I replied and my heart hurt as I missed him very much.<p>

Later that day, I was in the Black Box Theatre, sitting on the ground with my back against the wall. I had only fifteen minutes left to go through the script as Sikowitz' class would start then. I tried to ignore the nerves that had caused my heart to beat overtime and mumbled the words that I knew perfectly already. I closed my eyes and silently repeated the monologue from the top.  
>"One day when I was feeling alone I said to him: 'Oh, bird, you can fly. You can soar miles from this lonely place, yet you stay... Why?' " a voice suddenly said.<br>I opened my eyes, looked up and saw André standing in front of me. I smiled up at him as I went on:  
>"And apparently my question rang true, for that afternoon, the bird left."<br>I became silent for a moment and then André and I dramatically said:  
>"And so went my spirit."<br>After we'd stopped laughing, André sat down next to me and I curiously asked:  
>"So, what are you doing here?"<br>"Oh, you know," André started, "I figured that you'd be hiding somewhere to prepare for the Bird Scene and I thought you could use some support."  
>My heart melted at that and I gratefully said:<br>"Thank you."  
>"You're gonna kill it," André softly replied and he smiled his gorgeous smile.<br>I couldn't stop myself from smiling back, but it slowly faded as I realized that class would start in five minutes.  
>"What's wrong, girl?" my friend softly asked, brushing aside my hair so that he could look at me better.<br>Shivers ran over my body as a result of his touch.  
>"I'm so nervous...," I whispered, looking up at André.<br>He surprised me as he put his arms around me and gently pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around André as well, resting my head on his chest. I seemed to be unaware of everything around me, feeling safe in his arms. My heart skipped a beat when André's lips brushed against my ear as he whispered:  
>"You're gonna be fine."<p>

My entire body was shaking as I walked up the stage to do the Bird Scene. I felt my heart racing as I looked at my classmates, who all stared back at me in anticipation. I saw André, Tori, Cat, Robbie and Beck smiling at me, some of them giving me the thumbs-up. Jade was looking bored, but when I looked at her, a small encouraging smile appeared. It faded quickly after, though. I saw Nick standing in the hallway as he had to wait there until I had finished the Bird Scene.  
>"Laura, the stage is yours, but you can not take it home," Sikowitz said before he started sipping from his coconut.<br>"Thank you," I automatically said.  
>I took a deep breath and hesitatingly started my monologue as I tried to ignore the nerves:<br>"It was 1934 when my husband left me, alone. Life on the prairie was a dreary existence, no telephone, no radio."  
>I was speaking so softly that even I could barely hear myself. That's how nervous I was. My heart was racing like crazy as I looked around and saw confused expressions on everyone's faces. Sikowitz, however, seemed to be intrigued and stopped drinking from his coconut for a second. I swallowed.<br>"Only a large, majestic bird with whom I shared my feelings," I continued, my voice higher than usual.  
>Some people chuckled and poked each other and I could hear one girl whispering:<br>"She's awful!"  
>I really wanted to give up right then: I couldn't handle standing in front of a bunch of people making fun of me as I was doing some stupid scene. But just when I was about to run off stage, my eyes caught André's and he mouthed:<br>"You got this."  
>I suddenly felt the courage to go on and I thankfully smiled at André. I didn't lose eye contact with him as I went on:<br>"One day I said to him, 'Oh bird, you can fly, you can soar miles from this lonely place, yet you stay... Why? And apparently, my question rang true for that afternoon, the bird left. And so went my spirit."

I stepped out of the car and the sun warmed my face, making me smile.  
>"Thanks for driving me home, Mrs Johnson," I said like I did every day.<br>"You're welcome," she replied, smiling, as she was getting her two-year old daughter Sophie out of the car, "And please call me Sarah."  
>I smiled back at her, but then I looked down to see who repeatedly pulled at my jacket.<br>"Yes, Riley?" I asked the five-year old boy.  
>"Can we bake cookies today?" he asked as he looked up at me with his beautiful blue eyes.<br>I bent down to get at his eye level and smiled as I remembered last weekend. We had been baking cookies at my house, as Sarah had to go somewhere with Sophie and she needed someone to look after Riley. It had been so much fun spending time with my little neigbor. He always made me smile.  
>"I'm sorry, Riley, not today," I said, "I have to do my homework."<br>He looked at me with his big puppy eyes and pouted.  
>"Please?" he pleaded.<br>I laughed a little and said:  
>"Some other time, okay?"<br>"Okay...," he softly said, obviously disappointed.  
>I gently patted his head and said goodbye, crossing the road to get to my house. I ran a little, because I was really excited to see mom again. And to be honest, I didn't mind having Gerry around either. He was a pretty good stepfather, but most importantly: he made my mom happy. She deserved that. And of course, everything would be even more amazing if mom and dad were able to talk to each other without fighting, but I guess I couldn't have it all. I had reached the house and was about to open the door, when someone else swung it open.<br>"Laura!" my mom excitedly called, her arms wide open.  
>I laughed as she wrapped her arms around me and I held her tight.<br>"I missed you so much!" I truthfully said, not wanting to let go.  
>"Me too, hon," mom softly said.<p>

Sparks flew from the fireplace, warming the entire living room. Mom, Gerry, Maria and I were sitting at the couches, laughing at mom and Gerry's adventures in New York. We were eating chocolate cake, which mom had bought to celebrate that I passed my HA audition.  
>"So, how was your day, honey?" mom asked when we had stopped laughing.<br>I swallowed, "It was okay. I had to perform a scene in acting class, because I am not allowed to participate in any kind of event if I don't pass it. And I failed. So I have to do the scene again tomorrow."  
>Mom's eyes grew wider and she asked, "You mean the Bird Scene?"<br>"Yeah," I said, confused, "How do you know that?"  
>A small grin appeared on her face as mom said, "I went to Hollywood Arts too."<br>I almost choked as I was eating my cake, shocked to hear what my mom just said.  
>"What?" I finally asked, catching my breath.<br>Mom laughed at my reaction before she told me the whole story.

When she was my age, mom lived in LA and had a dream of becoming a professional singer. Even though her parents didn't approve of it, she auditioned for HA and got in. Years later, when she was in her senior year, she went to a museum of art. She was looking at a painting of a mother and a child who were sitting by a lake while enjoying the beautiful weather. Suddenly, a deep voice said:  
>"Beautiful, isn't it?"<br>That's where mom turned around and met dad. He was on holiday in LA for a couple of months and had decided to go to the museum that day.  
>"It was love at first sight," mom said, "Or that's what I thought."<br>"But what happened?" I asked, still confused, "And why didn't you become a singer after you graduated from HA?"  
>My mom looked away, a sad smile on her face.<br>"As I said, your father and I immediately fell in love and some couple of months later, I got pregnant. There was no way that I could go and live with my parents, so your father persuaded me to go to Stuarthill with him," mom said.  
>Stuarthill was the small village where I was born and raised. It was where I had spent some of the happiest years of my life. But it was also where mom had spent some of her hardest times. She had always been and stayed a city person and couldn't stand the life at the countryside.<br>"You... You were pregnant?" I softly asked, trying to swallow the lump in my throat when I realised that she gave up her dreams for me and dad.  
>Mom nodded and tears started to fall from my eyes.<br>"I never knew that...," I softly said, feeling guilty about all the times that I got mad at her, "I'm so sorry..."  
>"Honey, don't say that," mom said, hugging me, "It was all my choice. And you were so happy there, it was worth it."<br>I realised that mom and I had never been so honest with each other before. And sure, we fought sometimes, and yes, she wasn't there most of the time, but that didn't mean that I didn't love her. I just couldn't believe that she gave up so much just for me.  
>"I love you, mom," I whispered.<br>Mom held me tighter, "I love you too, Laura."

_**Please, don't forget to tell me which dress you prefer. =) Thanks for reading!**_


	17. Chapter 17

**_Hello everyone!  
><em>**_**Here's chapter seventeen.  
><strong>__**Enjoy! =)**_

André and I were standing in the hallway. We'd had another acting class and I had failed the Bird Scene. Again... As if that wasn't enough drama for one day, Sikowitz wouldn't tell me what I'd done wrong either. It was so frustrating! And of course, Nick did pass the Bird Scene. But he wouldn't tell me what Sikowitz had said, so now I was trying to get André to tell me the secret of the Bird Scene.  
>"André, please?" I asked while doing my best at the puppy eyes.<br>My friend just laughed at this as he repeated what he had said to all my failed attempts of figuring out the secret:  
>"No, I told you, I'm not allowed to help you."<br>André closed his locker and his eyes twinkled in amusement.  
>"Please?" I asked while pouting, "I'll make you chocolate cupcakes every day for a week!"<br>"Make it a month," André said as we had started walking towards our piano class.  
>A huge smile appeared on my face when André said that.<br>"Are you serious? You'll tell me the secret if I make you the cupcakes?" I hopefully asked.  
>André chuckled, "No, I was just teasing you."<br>I gasped.  
>"You meanie!" I exclaimed as I playfully hit his chest.<br>André laughed at this, the sound and sight of it warming my heart.  
>"Really?" he asked, "that's all you've got?"<br>"Oh, you better run, Harris, 'cause if I get you, I'll kill you!" I warned.  
>André instantly started running through the hallway, laughing as I repeatedly called his name while chasing him. Everyone turned to stare at us, but I didn't care: André was not going to win this game! Suddenly, André stopped running and turned around as he had reached our classroom already. Of course, I noticed it too late and I shrieked as I bumped into André at full speed, accidentally pushing him against the wall. Luckily, André's reflexes were faster than mine and so he caught me to prevent me from falling or hurting myself. After a moment of shock, I looked up at André. Our breaths slowly turned into one as we breathed in and out in the same rhythm. We were so close that I could feel his chest moving against mine as we breathed in and out. It sent shivers up my spine... I stared into André's beautiful eyes and I felt like I was drowning in them as it was impossible for me to look away. Then I realized that it was my fault that André'd hit the wall.<br>"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I said, afraid to have hurt him.  
>I unintentionally held my hand against his cheek as I worriedly asked:<br>"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? You didn't bump your head, right? I'm so sorry, I didn't see that you stopped and-"  
>"Laura," André started, interrupting my worried babbling.<br>Just then, I fully realized how close we were: André's arms were still wrapped around me, making me feel all tingly and safe at the same time. How I wished that I could just stay in his arms all day long. André was looking down at me and I suddenly realized that my hand was gently caressing his cheek. What was I thinking! I quickly pulled away my hand and stepped back as I realized that André was my best friend: I wasn't supposed to feel all this.  
>"Yes?" I replied, my cheeks flushing.<br>André looked down on me with a huge grin on his face as he said:  
>"I won't tell you the secret of the Bird Scene...!"<br>With that, he walked into the classroom while chuckling at the astonished look on my face.

André, Nick, Tori, Matt and I were in one of the music rooms of HA, rehearsing André's song. We had been doing that for at least one hour and I couldn't stop smiling: I had never been around so many different musicians before and I was enjoying it so much.  
>"So, once again from the top, guys!" André said.<br>I watched André in amusement as he walked around with his guitar, bossing us around. He did it in a friendly way, though, making us all do the best we possibly could. I really loved that about André: he could lead a bunch of people by giving them orders, without being rude. He really got the best out of people by his friendly way of interacting with them. André had really grown to be my best friend at HA and he honestly was so sweet. I loved spending time with him and the rest of the gang. Speaking of the rest of the gang, Nick was looking at me from behind the drums. He smiled as my eyes met his and I shyly looked away, blushing. I had started to feel all shy and giggly when I was around Nick and I was annoyed by it, because it wasn't anything like me to act like that.  
>"Earth to Laura," André said, waving his hand in front of my face.<br>This startled me and I looked up at him, my cheeks flushing even more.  
>"Sorry," I softly said as I quickly looked down at the piano keys and started playing.<br>The first part of the song was pretty much like a ballad as it was just Tori singing and me playing the piano. It was slow and sweet at the first verse, but then Nick tapped his drum sticks, counting to four. After the "four", the rest of the band joined us and the song turned into a fun up-beat song. Let's just say that André was a crazy-talented songwriter: another quality that I loved about him. When he was at my place, helping me prepare for the second audition, I'd noticed that he was an amazing writer, because he got me over my writer's block. And that morning, when he played my piano piece, he totally got my music. And I got his. So, during rehearsal, I really tried to play at my best. Like I said, André had this thing that got the best out of people.

I was gathering my stuff as rehearsal was over, when I suddenly saw Nick walking towards me. André, Tori and Matt were in the hallway discussing where we'd go for dinner.  
>"Hey," Nick said as his handsome smile appeared again.<br>I stopped packing and looked at him, smiling back.  
>"Hey," I replied.<br>"So... It's a pretty cool, song, huh?" Nick softly asked and I noticed that he was nervous as he kept looking down. I couldn't suppress a grin, because I'd never seen him like that before: Nick always was the cool, down to earth guy who didn't really care what other people thought about him.  
>"It is...," I simply replied, feeling the tension that had suddenly filled the room.<br>There came an awkward silence between us and I was starting to feel nervous as well. Nick's cheeks had turned red and so had mine.  
>"So...," I finally started, only to be rudely intterupted by Nick.<br>"Laura, do you want to go out with me sometime?" Nick suddenly asked, startling me.  
>I looked at him, opening my mouth to say something, but I couldn't find the right words. I was wondering if I was dreaming: Nick just asked me out? Before I could pinch myself to check, Tori walked in on us and asked:<br>"Are you guys coming? André knows a place to get tacos."  
>I just nodded and Nick said:<br>"Sure."  
>But Tori wouldn't be Tori if she didn't sense the tension. She suspicously looked at us and asked:<br>"What's going on?"  
>"Nothing," Nick quickly lied, "we're just talking about the song."<br>Tori looked him into the eyes and she didn't look convinced when she said:  
>"Okay. Well, let's go then."<br>She smiled and walked to the hallway. When I passed Nick on my way there, I whispered:  
>"I'd love to go out with you."<br>His handsome smile appeared again.  
>"Really?" he happily asked.<br>I chuckled, "Yes."  
>"Wanna go out tonight, after dinner?" he added.<br>"Sure, but I have to call my mom to ask if it's okay with her," I replied, smiling at him.

Suddenly some girls started screaming as Rick's face appeared in the mirror, a knife in his hand. Stephanie let out a piercing scream, causing goose bumps to appear all over me. I quickly buried my face in Nick's shirt as I didn't dare to look at the huge screen that displayed the horror movie we were watching. Nick chuckled as he put an arm around my shoulders to comfort me, just like other guys did with their dates.  
>"Is he gone?" I frantically asked.<br>"Well, he's basically killing her right now...," Nick dryly said and I gasped as I turned to the screen again.  
>"He's not," I said, only to see my favorite character get killed by the evil vampire Rick.<br>"Oh my gosh, he is!" I said, scared to death as I buried my face in my date's shirt again.  
>Nick laughed at my reaction, but put his arm around me anyway. He was so cute!<br>We'd decided to go to the movies together after we'd been out for taco's with André, Tori and Matt. We had said our goodbyes with the excuse that Nick would drive me home. It wasn't a complete lie, because he'd take me home after the movie. But I couldn't stop myself from feeling guilty when I saw that André sadly looked away when I said goodbye to him. He refused to look me into the eyes and suddenly, he'd started acting really cranky. I wanted to hug him, I did, but Nick had already taken my arm as he led me to his car like a real gentlemen. I decided to just enjoy my date with Nick instead of worrying about André's reaction all night. I was gonna tell André about the date the next day anyway. I was sure that everything would be alright if I did.

"Thank you for tonight," I softly said as Nick was walking me to the front door.  
>"You're welcome," he replied, his handsome smile appearing again.<br>I was wearing his jacket, because I only had a sleeveless top to wear and it was pretty cold outside. Nick had been really sweet to me during the whole date. The thought of me getting so close to him during the scary parts, which was almost the whole movie, made my cheeks flush.  
>"I am sorry that I was so scared all the time," I shyly said, "I didn't know that it would be such a scary movie."<br>Nick chuckled.  
>"I'd safe you from evil vampires whenever you need me too," he gently said, making me laugh.<br>"Well thanks," I gratefully replied and I smiled at him as I brushed some of my hair back.  
>I turned to face him as we had reached the porch already. Nick looked deep into my eyes, making me feel a bit nervous. I shyly looked away, softly asking:<br>"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
>"Because you're absolutely gorgeous," Nick replied, making my cheeks flush.<br>His blue eyes were even more beautiful in the light that came from the porch lamp and I found myself staring back at him. How could he possibly be so sweet? I'd really enjoyed our date that night and I had secretly enjoyed the snuggling as well, even though it wasn't anything like me to get so close to someone so soon.  
>"Thank you," I eventually replied, smiling at him.<br>Suddenly, but gently, Nick cupped my face and he slowly leaned in. Before I fully realized what was about to happen, Nick's lips softly touched mine. My heart started racing and I gently kissed back, enjoying the feeling of Nick's soft lips against mine. Seconds later, Nick pulled away as he smiled at me, suddenly turning shy again. A grin appeared on my face.  
>'He's so cute when he does that,' I thought.<br>Nick looked at me again and nervously smiled. Then he softly asked:  
>"Laura, will you be my girlfriend?"<p>

**_That's a wrap, people! I hope you enjoyed it. =)_**


	18. Chapter 18

**_Hey everyone,_**

_**Here's chapter eighteen. =)**_  
><em><strong>It's in André's POV and I hope you'll like it!<strong>_

_**Enjoy,**_  
><em><strong>Henrike.<strong>_

_**p.s: Thank you again, Annaelle, for all your help! I really appreciate it! =)**_

My heart was beating fast when I was running in the park at full speed. I wanted to get rid of the thoughts that had been bugging me ever since the night before and pushing myself to the limit usually worked when I wanted to stop thinking. But this time, the thoughts kept taking over my mind. Thoughts that consisted of Laura and Nick leaving together the night before. Of course they were going on a date, any fool would've seen it by the way they looked at each other when they walked away. I groaned as I realized that the annoying thoughts still hadn't left my mind and I started running even faster. Why couldn't I just stop thinking about her, it was not like I hadn't missed out on a girl before. Laura was just another girl that I'd fallen in love with, I would get over her soon enough. That's what I tried to tell myself when I finally gave up on getting rid of the mess in my head. My plan wasn't working, leaving me even more frustrated then before. I was panting for breath, sweat running down my face as I finally stopped running. I walked for a while and waited for my breathing to slow down. Then I ran home, slower this time.

"Hey, André!" that familiar voice said from behind me.  
>"Hey, Laura," I replied in a casual tone. At least, that's what I was trying to do.<br>Laura stood next to me as she opened her locker and she briefly looked my way. When my eyes met hers, she quickly looked away again.  
>"How was your date with Nick?" I suddenly asked in the bitter tone that I'd been trying so hard to suppress.<br>Laura looked up in surprise.  
>"How did you know that we went on a date?" she asked, nervously looking away.<br>Her reaction surprised me, but I went on as if I hadn't noticed her biting her bottom lip like she always did when she was nervous.  
>"I saw it in your eyes when you said goodbye," I softly replied.<br>Laura looked at me for a moment, her chocolate brown eyes seemingly searching for something in mine. Then she looked away again.  
>"Our date was amazing," she said, a small grin appearing on her face, "I mean, we went to this really scary movie and he was so sweet to me. I didn't dare to watch most of the time, but it was so worth it. He's really caring and cute and sometimes he gets shy, which is so adorable!"<br>My heart ached because as I saw an expression of love in her eyes. I swallowed when I realized that Laura'd already fallen in love with Nick. When Laura looked up at me with that smile on her face, she softly said:  
>"He asked me to be his girlfriend."<br>I dropped my mouth in shock, unable to hide my feelings any longer.  
>"What?" I exclaimed, louder than I wanted.<br>Laura's smile faded as she noticed that I wasn't pleased at all.  
>"And you said yes?" I added, jealousy building up inside me.<br>"I did," Laura replied, confused, and I tried to ignore the hurt inside.  
>"What's wrong?" she worriedly asked, resting her hand on my arm.<br>The gentle gesture calmed me down a little.  
>"Nothing," I eventually replied, trying not to look into her worried eyes.<br>Laura pulled back her hand.  
>"I thought you'd be happy for me...'' she softly said.<br>When I saw her sad eyes, I started to feel guilty.  
>"I am," I softly replied.<br>Laura's expression suddenly went from sad and worried to angry.  
>"Don't do that!" she called, her eyes darkening.<br>I was surprised at her sudden mood change.  
>"What?" I replied, confused.<br>"Don't lie to me!" she shouted, slamming her locker shut as she stamped away, just like that.

A wave of chuckles went through the classroom when Laura asked Sikowitz if she finally passed the Bird Scene. She'd just performed it for the third time and she had done a great job. Her nerves didn't get the better of her this time, and her acting had improved drastically because of it. But as she was playing her part, Laura hadn't looked at me even once. She had been ignoring me ever since our fight that morning and she made me feel terrible about it. I hadn't meant to lie to her about how I felt, but she looked so sad when she noticed that I didn't like the idea of her being Nick's girlfriend that lying seemed like the right thing to do. Little did I know that Laura immediately felt it when someone was lying and that she hated it. Sikowitz interrupted my thoughts by answering Laura's question with a simple:  
>"Nope."<br>I would've found the perplexed expression on Laura's face hilarious if I wasn't feeling so guilty.  
>"But Sikowitz-" she started, but he interrupted her.<br>"I'm sorry, Laura, but you can try again tomorrow," he said, walking towards the stage.  
>"I am not going to do it again!" Laura suddenly called, stopping Sikowitz in his path, "I'm not gonna be any better than this. I've controlled my nerves, which is a huge step for me! I'm proud of that, no matter what you think!"<br>I had to admit: she did look cute when she was angry. Despite our fight, I smiled, proud that Laura finally stood up for herself. Sikowitz grinned and everyone started clapping. Laura looked at us in confusion.  
>"You just passed the Bird Scene!" Sikowitz enthusiastically said.<br>"But...," Laura started, "I don't understand!"  
>Sikowitz smiled at Laura, "The whole point of the Bird Scene is that people stand up for themselves. So, everytime you asked if you did it right, you failed the test. It didn't have anything to do with your acting, because you're a good actress. You just had to find out yourself."<br>Laura smiled and sat down next to Nick. He immediately put his arm around her and he kissed the top of her head, whispering that he was proud of her. Laura sat closer to Nick, holding his hand. I felt my stomach turn in jealousy, but I forced myself to look away. They were my friends, they deserved to be together. During lunch, Laura and Nick had told the rest of the gang about their date and how they were boyfriend-girlfriend now. Everyone was very happy about it, except for Jade who was bored, as always. And of course, I didn't like it either. But I faked a smile until the first bell rang, giving me the opportunity to get away with a good reason.

"Laura, wait!" I called after her as she was walking towards the Asphalt Café to spend the last break period there.  
>Laura didn't turn around at my call and so I started running to be able to get to her. When I'd reached her, I went to stand in front of her, making it impossible for her to ignore me. She looked up at me with those beautiful eyes, slightly opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something. The expression of hurt in her eyes made me feel even more guilty.<br>"Laura, can we talk about this?" I softly asked, "Please?"  
>She briefly looked away, but then she looked back at me, anger in her eyes, "You shouldn't have lied to me, André."<br>"I know," I replied, "And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."  
>Laura examined my face as if to find out if I was speaking the truth. Then she slightly smiled, saying:<br>"Apology accepted."  
>I sighed, relieved and I spontaneously hugged her, holding her close.<br>"I'm sorry too...," Laura whispered in my ear, making me shiver.  
>I pulled away, meeting her eyes again.<br>"What? Why?" I asked, confused.  
>Laura looked away.<br>"I think I overreacted. I just..." she started, but she wasn't able to continue as tears formed in her eyes.  
>I worriedly touched her cheek, "Hey, are you okay?"<br>She shook her head, looking at her feet. But I gently cupped her face to make her look me into the eyes again.  
>"What's wrong?" I softly asked when her eyes met mine again.<br>"It's my parents," Laura eventually whispered, "They used to lie to each other all the time and that's when things went wrong..."  
>She was sobbing by now and I gently wiped away her tears as I softly tried to calm her down. Seeing her so upset broke my heart.<br>"And I just...," Laura added, "I was afraid that you... that I... That we would end up like them..."  
>My heart sank when she spoke those words and I felt even more guilty about the way I'd acted that morning.<br>"Laura," I softly said, stroking some of her hair out of her face, "I won't leave you. I promise, I will always be there for you, okay?"  
>She looked at me with teary eyes and quickly nodded. When I hugged her I softly said:<br>"Now, come on, let's get some ice cream to celebrate that you passed the Bird Scene!"  
>She smiled again as we walked to the Grub Truck to get ice cream for the whole gang. Festus was not going to like that!<br>But as Laura and I were walking back I saw Nick approaching us.  
>"Hey," he softly said as he'd reached Laura, worriedly looking at her, "are you okay?"<br>Laura nodded, reassuringly smiling at him. Nick smiled in response and leaned in to kiss her. Laura eagerly kissed Nick back, resting one hand in his neck and the other on his chest. I swallowed, looking away as jealousy built up inside of me. Just then, realization dawned on me: I was never going to be with Laura. She was with Nick now and I wasn't supposed to get so close to her anymore. She was just my friend. Just my friend.  
><strong><em><br>_**


	19. Chapter 19

_**Hey, you guys!  
><strong>__**Long time, no see. :P  
>School has been killing me lately and I've been busy studying for my finals.<br>I'll be pretty busy the next couple of weeks as well, but I'll be done in three weeks.  
>Or so I hope.<br>Anyway, here's another chapter of Finding My Way. Enjoy!**_

_**P.s: it's in Laura's POV.**_

"So, I'll see you tonight?" I asked when Nick's eyes met mine.  
>He leaned in to kiss me on the lips and I enjoyed the feeling of his smooth lips on mine once again.<br>"I'll be there at six." he replied after he'd leaned away, smiling at me.  
>I smiled back at him as I leaned in for another kiss. After our lips met, my hands made their way to his neck and I ran my fingers through his hair shortly after. Nick slid his arms around my waist and held me tighter, closing the space between us. I would have continued to kiss him if it wasn't for the loud coughing behind my back. Nick pulled away and I turned around to find the gang grinning at us.<br>"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed because they ruined the moment.  
>"Seriously, get a room!" Jade declared and the rest agreed by chuckling.<br>Except for André, that is: he'd put on a fake smile, trying to fool us, but I knew him well enough to notice that he was feeling terrible. Somehow, I felt guilty, but I couldn't quite explain why, because as far as I knew, I hadn't done anything to upset him. Before I could ask him what was wrong, the first bell rang, indicating that it was time for us to head to class. I turned to Nick again, quickly kissing him.  
>"See you tonight!" Nick said as he, Beck, Jade and Robbie walked to their English class.<br>I turned around to find Tori, Cat and André curiously looking at me.  
>"What?" I asked, feeling a bit nervous because there were so many eyes on me, "Why are you looking at me like that?"<br>"What's tonight?" Tori asked, putting into words what Cat and André wanted to know as well.  
>"Are you going on a date again?" Cat asked, her eyes widening as that typical innocent expression appeared on her face.<br>I laughed a little at the sight of it.  
>"I invited Nick to have dinner at my place tonight, so he can meet my mom, Gerry and Maria." I explained as we made our way to music class.<br>"Ah, so you're taking that step already." Tori replied, nudging me as she wiggled her eyebrows.  
>I shot her a confused look, ''What do you mean?''<br>"Oh, you know," Tori said, "meeting the family is the most important step to a solid, real relationship."  
>I thought about that for a while and somehow, it scared me a little.<br>"I don't think that's true," André quickly said.  
>He briefly looked at me, but before he could explain himself, Cat started talking.<br>"One time my brother had his girlfriend over for dinner at our house. At least, that's what he said, and he kept talking to her, but I didn't see her. I guess she left the minute she smelled the food, 'cause my mom's not a very good cook...!"  
>She looked at us with her big eyes and she brightly smiled with it. I couldn't suppress a grin, despite being super confused by her story. I mean, I loved Cat, she was adorable, but sometimes she could be so confusing. Still wondering what her brother would be like, I quickly walked into the classroom as Mr. Anderson gestured that we had to hurry up.<p>

"Listen up, everyone!" Mr. Anderson said, clapping his hands to get our attention.  
>Quickly the chattering died away, and he continued:<br>"Okay guys, for this week's writing assignment, you are going to team up with the person next to you, so take a quick look and say hi."  
>I felt a smile appear on my face as I realized who was sitting next to me. I turned my head to my neighbor and my eyes met André's. He was smiling as well and it made my heart flutter in response.<br>"Hey," he said as the grin didn't leave his face.  
>I laughed a little, "Hey."<br>Somehow, I got lost in André's deep brown eyes as he was staring into mine, leaving me breathless for a moment. I opened my mouth to say something, but Mr. Anderson started talking again, forcing us to look at him.  
>"Did everyone find a partner?" he asked and everyone nodded, "Okay, good. This week, you're going to write a song about feeling hopeless. It can be anything from reggae to classical music, that's completely up to you. But I need it to be done next Friday. You'll perform your song in front of this class and I will give you a grade afterwards, based on the song, your performance and most importantly: teamwork. So, to be able to see how you worked together, I need you to record at least one writing session. You have to show the video before your performance."<br>Mr. Anderson stopped talking and waited to see if someone had a question. After a short silence, he said:  
>"If there aren't any questions, you can start writing. Good luck!"<br>People around us walked away to get themselves the instruments they needed and I got up as well. But when I saw that the only piano in the room was already taken, I turned to André again.  
>"What about we think of some ideas first?" I asked and André nodded in agreement.<br>"Sure," he replied and so I sat down again when I had taken a notebook out of my bag.  
>"Hey," Tori said after she grabbed her bag, "Cat and I are gonna find a quieter place to start writing. Do you guys wanna come to town after class?"<br>"I'd love to, but I have to prepare dinner for tonight," I apologetically said.  
>"What about you, André?" Tori asked, turning to our friend who was still sitting beside me.<br>"Sure, I'll meet you guys at the lockers," he said, smiling at her.  
>"Have a great weekend, Laura," Cat said as they walked away, "and good luck tonight."<br>"Make sure not to burn down the kitchen," Tori teasingly said, winking at me.  
>She laughed when I threatened to throw a pen at her and she waved before she left the room.<br>"I'll see you on Monday!" Tori called.

I closed my locker after I'd gotten some books and my jacket out of it. André and I'd decided that we'd start writing the next day. We agreed to writing at his place, because Maria had invited some of her new friends over for lunch and it was gonna be too crowded to be able to write in peace. André's parents would be visiting his grandmother all day, so his place was the better option.  
>"So, do you know how you're gonna customize your locker already?" André asked as he was looking at my blank locker.<br>That's when I remembered that I'd wanted to show the gang the design for my locker that day. I'd been working on it for the past two weeks and I finally finished it the night before, so I was psyched to share it with my friends. And of course, I'd forgotten all about it, so now I had to wait until after the weekend to show everyone.  
>"Darn it!" I said, stamping my foot on the floor.<br>It was some weird habit I'd had ever since I could walk and I hated it. André chuckled at the sight of it and teasingly asked:  
>"You always do that when you're frustrated?"<br>I don't know how he did it, but somehow, André had the amazing ability of making me smile whenever he wanted to. I playfully nudged him, a smile appearing on my face. André just laughed at this, but then he grabbed me from behind, holding me close as he started to tickle me. I laughed uncontrollably and shrieked, trying to get away from him.  
>After a while, I'd managed to turn around and I tickled André back, causing him to laugh even more.<br>"No, please," he begged, "stop it, please! Laura!"  
>I laughed as my friend simply melted when I ran my fingers over his tummy.<br>"Hey, you two!" a deep voice suddenly called, causing us to freeze immediately.  
>Slowly, I turned around to find Mr. Gradstein furiously looking at us.<br>"I'm trying to teach a class here! So, stop shrieking and yelling and get out of the hallway right now!" Mr. Gradstein yelled as he pointed at the main entrance.  
>My face had turned red and I saw that André's cheeks were flushed as well when we grabbed our bags and quickly made our way outside. After a moment of silence, we looked at each other and immediately burst into laughter.<br>"Oh my chizz," I giggled, "he's so scary!"  
>Then I saw that Sarah was already waiting for me in the car and I turned to André as I apologetically said:<br>"Sarah's here to pick me up."  
>André looked at where the car was and then turned back to me with his killer smile.<br>"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"  
>I nodded and smiled back at him, "Yeah. Could you pick me up at two?"<br>"Sure, I'll see you then," André replied.  
>I walked to the car, waving at him one more time before getting in the car.<p>

The soup was boiling and the lasagna was in the oven, spreading a nice smell around the kitchen. I was wearing my favorite apron, but after two hours of cooking, it was covered with tomato sauce and splashes of soup. I had banned everyone from the kitchen, because I wanted to cook dinner all by myself and I couldn't cope with anyone bugging me. Maria, of course, couldn't help but check up on me several times. With one glance at my dirty apron, she'd simply smile and disappear again. I was adding the final things to my strawberry mousse, decorating it with pieces of fruit on top, before I put it in the fridge. I smiled: it had turned out really well. I quickly cleaned up the kitchen, checked the lasagna and soup one more time, and then I ran upstairs to get changed. Nick could be there any minute and my nerves were building up inside me. What if they didn't like him? And what if he didn't like mom, or Gerry or even Maria? Not that I would dump him if any of this was the case, but I wanted them to like him. Especially Maria. But I scolded myself for even letting the thought that someone wouldn't like Nick cross my mind as I quickly got my little black dress. Just when I was getting into my dress, the doorbell rang. I gasped, immediately checking the time and I realized that it was 5:45 pm.  
>"Shoot!" I whispered, realizing that Nick, with all his gentleman manners that I usually loved, would probably be standing by the front door already.<br>So, I quickly zipped up my dress and started combing my hair in a desperate attempt to get it done in less than two minutes.  
>"I'll get it!" my mom called and seconds later, the front door was opened and happy chattering filled the hallway.<br>I could hear Nick introducing himself and then my mom's fairly high voice welcoming him. Meanwhile, my hair was almost in a French braid as I was trying to find my black flats to wear underneath the dress. When I finally found everything I needed, I tried to calm myself down.  
>"It's going to be just fine," I told myself.<br>Taking a deep breath, I finally walked to the staircase.  
>"Oh, there she is," my mom said and Nick turned around to see me walking down the stairs.<br>I shyly smiled when I saw that Nick was looking at me in admiration. He was dressed in a nice, black jacket and I smiled at the thought that he'd dressed up for the occasion as well.  
>"Hey," I said before I kissed his cheek as soon as I'd reached him.<br>"Wow, Laura," he softly said, "you look amazing."  
>My smile grew even wider and I returned the compliment by stating that he looked really handsome himself. Then, I led him to the dining room where I introduced him to my mom, Gerry and Maria. So far, so good.<p>

"It was very nice to meet you all," Nick said as he was saying goodbye to my family.  
>They said the same and then walked back into the living room, giving us some time alone. I closed the front door behind us and turned to Nick who was holding my hand.<br>"I'm gonna miss you," he whispered.  
>My heart fluttered when he said that and I smiled at him, "I'm gonna miss you too. But you're gonna be back before you know it. Family visits go by really fast."<br>Nick was going to visit his family in Canada and wouldn't be back until next Wednesday. That meant that I had to spent five days without him. But I'd be fine. He took it harder, though and sadly looked down at his shoes.  
>"I know," he replied.<br>I just wrapped my arms around him in response and I rested my head on his shoulder, enjoying the smell of his cologne.  
>He chuckled, "You smell of lasagna and tomato soup."<br>I smiled and pulled back, looking into his eyes, "I'm so glad that you loved it."  
>"Of course I did, you're an amazing cook," he said, matter-of-factly.<br>I looked down at his lips when he said this and then I met his eyes again. I smiled when he took the hint as he leaned in and his lips gently touched mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as I kissed him back. It was an innocent kiss, like all the kisses we shared, and I really enjoyed it. After a couple of seconds, I pulled back, smiling up at him. He pouted at the loss of contact, and I laughed a little.  
>"It's late, you should go home," I softly said.<br>We shared one final hug and kiss, before Nick walked to his car and I walked to the front door.  
>"I'll see you soon!" he said before he drove away.<br>I walked back into the house and slowly went up the stairs with a smile on my face. Just when I was about to open the door to my bedroom, something caught my eye. I walked into my mom's bedroom and I saw two suitcases, clothes, books and shoes on the bed. My mom was just putting some dresses in her suitcase. I stopped in my path as I realized what it meant.  
>"Mom, what are you doing?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.<br>She simply smiled at me, avoiding my gaze as she softly explained:  
>"Gerry and I are going to Chicago for a couple of days. I get to perform in the Symphony Center this week. We're leaving tomorrow morning."<br>I felt my heart break once again as I tried to fight back my tears and whispered:  
>"But you promised that you'd be home for at least a week. It's been just two days, mom. Just two days!"<br>Mom walked towards me and reached out her hands to hug me, but I stepped back.  
>"You promised!" I repeated, louder this time.<br>I was choked up and I hated myself for it. I didn't want to cry because my mother was breaking yet another promise. Not again. Not after such an amazing night.  
>"I'm sorry, Laura, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," mom softly said, "You know that! There's no way I can turn this offer down."<br>Silence came between us and the tension could be cut with a knife. But then I suddenly turned around and stormed off.  
>"Laura-" mom started, but I angrily interrupted her, turning around.<br>"I hate you! I hate you for breaking promises all the time! Go to Chicago! Go live your dream! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine without you! You don't care anyway! I hate you!"  
>I slammed the door behind me and locked myself in my room, sobbing. I didn't even bother taking my dress off as I cried myself to sleep once again.<p>

_**Thanks for reading! And a special thank you to Annaelle: thanks for always helping me out! **_


	20. Chapter 20

**- Laura's POV -  
><strong>  
>The early sunlight crept past my flower-patterned curtains and shone down on my face, teasingly waking me up. I slowly opened my eyes, turning away from the bright light that was filling my bedroom. I blinked a few times to get used to the sunlight and my surroundings. What day was it again? Oh, right: Saturday. That meant I could sleep in. So, why wasn't I doing just that?! When my eyes were fully open, I immediately noted that I was still wearing my dress and I groaned when I felt that my eyes were swollen from crying myself to sleep the night before. With those realizations, the memory of my mom packing her stuff once again started flooding back to me. I sighed as I sat up and rubbed my eyes, forcefully trying to erase that image. Although I felt the urge to cry again when I realized that mom was gone, I simply forced myself not to. I wasn't a little girl anymore. Instead, my eyes automatically wandered to the alarm clock beside my bed. I groaned when I saw that it was only eight o'clock. Feeling that I wouldn't fall asleep again anyway, I decided to do the one thing I always did when avoiding my problems: I went running.<p>

As I walked into the kitchen some minutes later, I noticed a small piece of paper laying on the kitchen table. My initial thought was that it might be from my mom, making my heart skip a beat in hope, but soon after that I recognized Maria's handwriting. I felt my stomach turn in disappointment as I realized that mom obviously didn't feel guilty about leaving me once again. As a result, I subconsciously clenched my fists in anger and disappointment. I didn't really notice, until I felt that my nails were painfully digging into the palms of my hands. I gasped, quickly relaxing my hands, resting them against my upper arms as I took a deep breath. To be honest, I needed one of Maria's comforting hugs very badly. Maria was the one who was always there for me, who truly understood me at times when I couldn't put my emotions into words. It was kind of like what André and I had as well: we completely got each other, without having to explain everything. But with Maria, it wasn't like a friendship, it was more of a mother-daughter bond. And it made me sad sometimes, how I had such a strong bond with Maria - who'd been my "nanny" for two years now – while I felt so distant from my own mother, whom I'd known all my life. I felt tears burn in my eyes and I quickly snapped myself out of my thoughts, picking up Maria's letter. I told myself not to start crying again. It only made things worse. Plus, the head aches that came after crying were awful. I was not going to cry. Nor was I going to allow my mom to ruin my day. Or my life, for that matter. I rubbed my eyes and read the letter Maria left me.  
>"Good morning, honey. I'm sorry that I left without talking to you, but I didn't want to wake you up. Before you go running, I want you to eat the sandwich I made you. It's in the fridge. I'm at the grocery store, but I'll be back around 9 o'clock. Love, Maria."<br>Despite everything, Maria once again managed to make me feel better. With a grin, I walked towards the fridge to find a delicious strawberry sandwich: my favorite.

While I was running around the lake in the park, my mind was getting clearer by the minute. As I pushed my body to the limit, I forced myself to forget about the fact that my own mother had once again chosen to fight for her dreams instead of for me. I'd cried over that for so many times that I'd run tired of it. So, I simply made myself forget. Or at least momentarily. And - fortunately - by the time that I'd run about two miles, I couldn't focus on anything else but my breathing. My mind was getting a little foggy due to the lack of oxygen and I decided to slow down a bit. Suddenly, I recognized where I was running and with a start, I stopped. I was still panting as my eyes found the spot I was looking for. It was right next to the lake, on the track where I was running: it was where André and I ran into each other about a month ago. The image of André brightly smiling down at me when he was lying on top of me flashed through my mind and left me even more breathless. I remembered how his cheeks flushed when he realized what position we were in, after which he quickly got up and helped me stand up as well. Although I still felt like screaming at my mom, I smiled at those memories with André. He always managed to calm me down. With a smile still on my face, I ran back home..

We were in the car, driving to André's house. LA traffic on Saturdays was awful. It was like every inhabitant decided to go for a road trip or groceries or family visits or everything at once. Luckily André was too busy navigating his car through it all to notice that I was quiet that day. I was glad. I didn't want him wondering what was wrong. I didn't want to feel all the emotions that came when thinking of mom and her leaving me so often. I didn't want to break. I was determined to focus on writing a song, to make my friend believe I was fine. I'd been staring out of the window ever since we started driving, but I was getting more and more annoyed by the radio station André had on. They only played these extremely sad songs, and I really wasn't in the mood for that. It made me feel even more miserable than I already did. So, I reached over and changed the station. For the first time since we'd been driving, André looked at me.  
>"What? You don't like ballads?" He asked, a questioning look on his face.<br>He was smiling at me and I just realized that he was always so cheery. It annoyed me.  
>"Not if they're all 'listen to me, I am so sad and I need your attention'," I snapped, looking away again.<br>I could feel André looking at me, but I ignored it.  
>"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning..." he muttered, his smile wiped off his face.<br>I bit my lip to keep myself from saying bad things. The car was silent apart from the happy music that came out of the radio. It gave me enough time to feel guilty.  
>"Sorry." I quickly said, refusing to look at André.<br>I felt his eyes on me again and I was relieved that the light turned green just when he was about to ask me something. We continued driving in silence, the tension so high it could be cut with a knife.

"What's going on, Laura?!" André asked, throwing his bag in some corner of the living room.  
>His dark eyes were darker then normal and demanded an answer as they were piercing into mine. The deepest frown had formed on his forehead and he actually looked mad. He'd never been angry with me before, and honestly, that was one of the things that made me realize that I deserved it. André'd never get angry with me for no reason, so I must have really been a pain in the butt. The guilt that had crept up inside was only there for a few seconds. Quickly, I found myself being pulled back in complete denial mode and I didn't feel anything apart from boredom.<br>"What are you talking about?!" I carelessly retorted, putting my own back pack down against some chair as I made my way to André's piano.  
>"Oh, do not play dumb with me here, okay?! You've been acting all sassy and cranky ever since I picked you up! So, tell me! What happened to turn you into a complete pain in my butt?!" André replied, walking towards me as I started playing "I'm walking on sunshine", very, very slowly.<br>That seemed to annoy him even more, but I couldn't help it, I just continued playing.  
>"Laura...! Laura, I want you to stop that and act like a grown-up. Talk to me!" he warned, his voice growing louder and sharper with every word.<br>I ignored it, very much enjoying how I was able to mess with my usually calm and patient friend. I looked straight into his eyes, daring him to stop me. When he didn't, I decided to take it to a higher level. I started slowly singing the song, imitating the voice of an annoying child, still holding his angry gaze. When I started singing really loudly, I actually saw a vein in his neck throb.  
>"Come on, André, don't be such a nag and sing along! You know this song, right?!" I quasi-happily yelled, poking him with my foot.<br>I wasn't sure what made him lose his temper for real: the asking him to sing a long or the poking. Either way, André actually growled! Like, he freaked out, made this really deep, angry sound and just grabbed my hands to make me stop.  
>"That's enough!" he sharply said, his face close to mine.<br>His dark eyes pierced into mine, making every urge to tease or annoy him go away at once. I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious and uncomfortable, like I was being scolded. André's chest was heaving, possibly because of the anger he'd tried to hold in. I didn't dare to look away, and felt André's breath on my face, making me crinkle my nose. André noticed. His eyes dropped from my eyes to my nose. Then to my lips. I swallowed. With that, André's eyes softened. He closed his eyes and just sighed, his breath tickling my face again. Somehow, I felt myself taking that moment to look at his lips in return. They looked so... kissable. My eyes unintentionally traced André jaw line, then his cheeks and his nose. And then his lips again. I didn't really know what I was doing or why I was doing it, and before I could try to stop myself, André cleared his throat. I gasped in surprise, looking up into his eyes again. I was about to apologize, but André was studying my face again and suddenly asked:  
>"Have you been crying?"<br>Instantly, I looked away, snapping: "No!"  
>Too soon. André closed his eyes once more and a silence filled his living room. I frowned, pushing away every emotion that was bottling up inside of me. I didn't want to break. I couldn't. We had to write a song for school. And I wanted it to be done. I wanted to live my life, to be confident and happy. I wanted to forget about my mother not wanting me. It hurt me so much, it would kill me to feel that rejection. If I'd tell André how I felt, I'd have to let everything out. I knew there was no holding back this time. I'd been bottling up so many emotions so many times that I'd break down if I told André about my mom. I couldn't. There was no way in the world I'd let that happen. I didn't want to be vulnerable. People would hurt me when I was vulnerable, they always had.<br>André grabbed a chair, snapping me out of my inner war. He put the chair next to me and sat down, facing me with worried eyes.  
>"Laura," he softly said, making me shiver, "remember our first fight?"<br>He didn't even let me answer and went on: "You were angry with me because I lied to you about how I felt about you and Nick being together. I lied to you, and you immediately noticed. You were so mad at me! Remember when I promised to never lie to you again?"  
>He let that sink in for a bit, giving me enough time to try and shake his words off. It didn't work and I knew it.<br>"So, please don't lie to me either," he added, almost whispering now. "I also promised to never leave you be. Please help me keep it and tell me what's wrong. I can see you're sad. You just don't want to open up and let it out."  
>André sighed again when I didn't say a word and just stared at the wall with my jaw clenched tight.<br>"Laura..." he whispered, caressing my cheek, "I care about you. Let me help you."  
>That was it. I forcefully got up, looking down at André with a look I was sure could kill.<br>"I. Don't. Need. Your. Help!" I angrily snapped, trying to walk away.  
>"Right, you're obviously just fine on your own!" André yelled, catching me off guard once again.<br>I was stopped dead in my tracks when hearing the anger in his voice. I quickly turned around, walking towards him again. He looked baffled when I stamped my foot in front of him and started screaming:  
>"Do not mess with me! It's none of your business how I'm doing, how I'm feeling and you sure as hell shouldn't take care of me like you're one of my parents!"<br>I didn't move and tried to catch my breath again. André just looked at me and all of a sudden, I could see something clicked in his mind. His eyes went from angry to understanding. It made me nervous how he looked at me with new-found sympathy. Like he could see right through me. He was getting too close. I could feel fear already filling me, flashing through my body before leaving a heavy feeling in my stomach.  
>"What?!" I hissed, trying to get away with it. Trying to hide everything by putting up a wall of anger, of putting the blame on André.<br>"It's about your parents, right?" André softly asked.  
>When I hesitated to answer such a direct question, I could see he was determined to find out. Again, a flash of fear washed through me.<br>"What happened last night, Laura? Was it your mother? Did she say anything about Nick?" André continued, his eyes searching for an answer in mine. His worry over me was about to consume me. It made me feel safe and scared at the same time. I stepped back, only to be held back by André holding my wrist.  
>"No, she didn't!" I replied, trying to get away from him. It only made André hold my other wrist as well. And even though he was very gently with me, I felt that I couldn't get away. It was too late. He was coming way too close for my own good. He was thinking so fast, I could barely follow.<br>"Then what happened?" André determinedly asked, looking deep into my eyes.  
>The heavy feeling in my stomach intensified at that and I tried really hard to ignore it. It was all in vain.<br>"I'm not going to -" I quickly started, only to be interrupted by André.  
>"What happened, Laura? What did she do? Tell me." he asked, anger filling his voice and eyes again.<br>It consumed me. I was overwhelmed with fear, anger, sadness all at once.  
>"She left me, okay?!" I finally yelled, angry he'd pushed me so far.<br>André loosened his grip for a second as he took in what I'd just said and I took that opportunity to pull back my hands. They were shaking. And so were my legs. And my voice when I whispered:  
>"She left me..."<p>

**- André's POV -**

"I hate it, okay?!" Laura yelled in between her heavy sobs, tears streaming down her face, "I hate that she makes me feel like this, I hate that I feel so alone, I hate that my dad's not here to keep me from getting hurt…! I –"  
>Laura was breaking. Her heart was scattering into a million pieces right before my eyes to see and I felt an indescribable feeling of pain fill my heart. I wanted to pick up all the pieces and mend her heart again. I took a step towards Laura, but she just groaned and turned her back on me, forcefully wiping away her tears. Another bolt of pain hit me. She was pushing me away. With a shock, I realized that it was exactly what she'd been doing ever since I picked her up. Her cranky comments, rude words and the lack of eye contact were just all part of the same problem: she was shutting off her emotions. Or at least, she'd been trying to do that. She'd told me all about her mom and how the latter was so busy with her singing career that she didn't bother to be there for Laura.<br>"Laura..." I started, reaching for her shaking shoulders.  
>She immediately froze when I touched her, only making me want to pull her into my arms and protect her from all the pain she was feeling even more. Instead, I went to stand in front of her and tried to make her look at me without cupping her face, wiping her tears or anything that meant we'd touch.<br>"Honey," I whispered, not really knowing what to say, "don't shut me out. Talk to me."  
>With that, Laura's sobbing became so intense that – even though she tried to say something – she couldn't speak anymore. She desperately looked at me as her breaths were getting faster and faster and I felt as if this was all my fault. I had forced her to tell me what was wrong and after that, she'd started crying as if she could never stop. Laura buried her hands in her hands and she was shaking so hard, her knees buckled and she simply collapsed. My heart broke.<br>"Laura!" I exclaimed, immediately kneeling down with her, finally giving in to the urge of pulling her close. I wrapped my arms around her, whispering words I hoped would calm her down. Why would anyone hurt a girl like Laura? She was so vulnerable, so sensitive... Her own mother should be able to see that! How could it be that even I – having known Laura for about a month – could tell she needed love. Speaking of which, why did I feel like I was responsible of giving her just that? Why was it that – every time I saw that Laura was sad or insecure – I wanted to hold her and never let go again, so that she wouldn't feel anything but safe?!  
>Meanwhile, Laura struggled to get away and when she noticed I wouldn't let her go, she started punching my chest.<br>"Go away, André!" Laura yelled in between her sobbing, "Let me go! Let me go!"  
>Her words and attempts to push me away, only made me more determined to never let her go.<br>"Forget it, Laura, I'm not leaving you," I told her, "No matter how hard you hit me. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."  
>With a heartbreaking cry, Laura finally gave in and sunk in my arms. She cried in my chest, clasping my shirt in the process.<br>"I love you, Laura. I'm not leaving you." I whispered over and over again, cradling her, kissing her hair.  
>And she just cried and cried and cried.<p> 


End file.
